OIG tags Florida hospital for incorrect billing

University of Florida Health Jacksonville failed to comply with Medicare billing requirements for 21 of 154 inpatient claims reviewed by HHS' Office of Inspector General for the audit period of January 2013 through September 2014, according to a recent OIG report.

The 21 claims that did not comply with Medicare billing requirements resulted in the 695-bed hospital receiving $63,811 in overpayments, according to the OIG.

Extrapolating from the sample results, the OIG estimated UF Health Jacksonville received at least $273,346 in overpayments from Medicare during the audit period.

Based on its findings, the OIG recommended the hospital refund the Medicare contractor $273,246, exercise reasonable diligence to identify and return any additional overpayments outside of the audit period and strengthen controls to ensure full compliance with Medicare requirements. CMS contracts with Medicare contractors to, among other things, process and pay claims submitted by hospitals.

In written comments, UF Health Jacksonville agreed that 10 of the 21 claims identified by the OIG contained billing errors. However, the hospital did not agree with the OIG's determination regarding the remaining 11 claims.

After reviewing the hospital's comments, the OIG maintained its findings and recommendations.

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