According to the letter, the top three sectors for Medicare fraud are durable medical equipment, home health agencies and infusion therapy. The improper payment rate for Medicare fee-for-service was 3.6 percent, or $10.4 billion, in 2008.
Ms. Frizzera also outlines CMS’s numerous Medicare and Medicaid program integrity efforts, which include provider and supplier enrollment requirements, provider and supplier educational activities, data analysis, medical review and recovery audits. Additionally, Ms. Frizzera said that CMS has 110 full-time employees working toward ensuring Medicare program integrity, 100 full-time employees working on Medicaid program integrity and 23 attorneys within the Department of Health and Human Services who focus specifically on Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
Read Ms. Frizzera’s letter to Rep. Joe Barton about healthcare fraud (pdf).
