Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - September 19, 2007
Niala Boodhoo, nboodhoo@MiamiHerald.com
Despite the fact that just 8 percent of the country's Medicare HIV/AIDS beneficiaries live in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, the region accounts for 72 percent of all submitted claims for such Medicare recipients, according to the OIG's report.
"Medicare continues to be highly vulnerable to fraud and abuse and immediate steps must be taken to protect the program and its beneficiaries," said Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.
Last month, federal authorities announced its biggest infusion fraud cases ever, against the owner of Miami-based R and I Medical Billing, charged with collecting $105 million of phony Medicare claims.
In the report, the department's inspector general office used Medicare Part B claims data from 2006, as well as information on existing fraud cases and interviews with staff members as the basis for the report.
"We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services treat South Florida as a high-risk area and mandate site visits for certain types of providers before issuing provider numbers," Levinson said.
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