PAR | The Health Law Firm Blog

Are You the Target of a Medicaid Audit? Tips Health Professionals Should Be Following

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Bureau of Medicaid Program Integrity is the Florida agency responsible for routine Medicaid audits The agency ensures that the Medicaid program was billed correctly for services by health care professionals. Those receiving the greatest amounts of Medicaid payments are also the ones most likely to be audited.

These include pediatricians, Ob/Gyns, family practice physicians, and dentists. The Medicaid audit usually requests information in a questionnaire form. It also includes a request for […]

Pediatricians Who Are Targets of Medicaid Audits Should Request Hearings on the Final Audit Report Results

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

We have recently been contacted by several pediatric practices that were subject to Medicaid audits. In several cases, the pediatricians received the final audit reports (FARs) stating that they owed Medicaid refunds, because of overbillings, in the tens of thousands of dollars.

With such demands for repayment of the alleged overpayments also come:

1. Fines;
2. Penalties;
3. Requirements to sign agreements to refrain from such practices in the future;
4. Requirements to have personnel retrained; and
5. The specter of future audits.

In many cases, Medicare and Medicaid auditors may swiftly review supporting medical records and overlook key components that support the level […]