Compliance, Compliance, Compliance (a CCRC gets trapped by Medicare Rules)
Whenever I look at national programs on “hot topics” in healthcare law, I’m seriously impressed by the number of offerings on regulatory compliance issues connected to Medicare and Medicaid payments. There are abundant reasons for this emphasis. Each year the Department of Justice touts its statistics on “recoveries” for False Claim Act cases. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, the DOJ enthusiastically reported its “first annual recovery to exceed $5 billion” in a single year. No wonder health care law is a hot field. And remember, much of the money is connected to senior care in all of its guises.
A recent $1.3 million settlement on a Medicare-related False Claims Act case might seem like small potatoes at first glance. But, I was struck by the fact that it was a DOJ settlement with a (non-profit) Continuing Care Retirement Community. I don’t usually think of CCRCs as being a major target of False Claim Act allegations. Details are a bit sparse, but the size of the payment seemed pretty hefty when you consider that Asbury Health Center near Pittsburgh, PA actually “self-disclosed” its violation of Medicare regulations. The DOJ press release on April 15 explains:
“For post-hospital skilled nursing care, Medicare regulations require that a facility obtain a physician certification at the time of admission or as soon thereafter as reasonable and practical. The facility must also obtain a physician recertification within 14 days of admission and every 30 days thereafter. Based on information provided by Asbury, the United States alleged that it had civil claims against Asbury resulting from Medicare payments for post-hospital skilled nursing services that were not supported by physician certifications and recertifications.”
Law 360 reports the explanation of Asbury’s Chief of Staff about the settlement here.