A new report examining fraudulent Medicare durable medical equipment suppliers has the Senate Finance Committee chairman wondering if Medicare officials are doing what they can to find and punish offenders.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson released two reports Friday that found widespread problems among durable medical equipment providers in Florida and other areas.
In the Florida report, at least 45 percent of equipment suppliers in the three South Florida counties studied did not comply with at least one of the five standards reviewed, which include maintaining a physical facility, posting hours of operation and maintaining listed telephone numbers.
In a statement, Baucus said he has "serious questions" about whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has the right rules in place to approve and monitor medical suppliers. Baucus urged CMS officials to "take the inspector general's advice and move immediately to tighten up their oversight, or the Finance Committee will exercise its jurisdiction to make sure that they do."
In a news release, Levinson said CMS officials agreed with many of the report's recommendations
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