Study: U.S. Needs to Fight Medicare Fraud
87336
Fraud in the &#36;300-billion-a-year Medicaid program is widespread and the federal government is not doing enough to combat it, congressional investigators said in a report released Wednesday.
625130
Medicare, the U.S. insurance program  for elderly and disabled Americans, should lump the price of  anemia drugs with overall payments for kidney dialysis services  to improve efficiency and contain costs, according to a  government report released on Tuesday.
644012
Online tricksters looking to dupe consumers out of credit card numbers and other personal information have netted about $500 million from their hapless victims in the US, a national study released Wednesday showed.
105109
Looking for mistakes or fraud can take close examination.
83038
NEW YORK  - Despite early criticisms, the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan has succeeded in boosting drug coverage among older Americans, especially for those who need it most, according to a University of Michigan analysis.
138118
MONDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- One part of the new Medicare drug plan passed by Congress earlier this year could live up to its advance clippings and save people a lot of money. But some people could end up spending more than &#36;750 out-of-pocket even after they participate in the program.
232437
WASHINGTON - A day before the first presidential debate, the government's health policy watchdog raised concerns that early mailings to seniors about the new Medicare prescription discount cards championed by President Bush were confusing or inadequate.   "We found that these beneficiaries received very little mail from drug card sponsors that would enable them to make an informed choice among cards," the Health and Human Services Department inspector general wrote in the Sept...
276797
The federal government plans to target medical equipment suppliers in Los Angeles and South Florida in an effort to root out fraud in Medicare, the insurance system for the elderly and disabled, a Medicare official said yesterday.
612142
A blistering audit claims the state&#39;s Medicaid system is in such disarray that 1.4 million pills are missing, thousands of people who are dead or lack Social Security numbers are getting millions of dollars in benefits and abuse of mental patients may be
608114
WASHINGTON - UnitedHealthcare will pay the federal government $3.5 million to settle allegations of fraud stemming from mishandling of telephone calls involving the Medicare program, the Justice Department announced.
551745
A report funded by the banking industry finds U.S. ID fraud is down by a half-million victims in 2006. But a data-privacy expert says the study is dead wrong. In 27B Stroke 6.
318831
(InfoWorld) - The communications network used to transmit medical data for the U.S. government's Medicare and Medicaid programs has security vulnerabilities that could expose patients' medical data and other personal information, according to a report released Tuesday. The report, released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), identified 47 weaknesses in the way the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) used a WAN (wide-area network) operated by an unnamed contractor. CMS uses the network to transmit claims data -- including patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses and medical information -- to health-care facilities, contractors, financial institutions, and state Medicaid offices. "A security breach in this communication network could lead to interruptions in the processing of medical claims or to unauthorized access to personally identifiable medical data, seriously diminishing the public's trust in CMS's ability to protect the sensitive beneficiary data it is entrusted with," the GAO said in the report. GAO, in its review of CMS security procedures early this year, found that the agency and contractor did not use adequate identification and authentication controls for access to the network, did not restrict user access to only those programs and files workers need, did not close off all access from the private network to the Internet and did not consistently encrypt sensitive data. CMS did not always ensure security policies it has in place, GAO said. "CMS did not always ensure that its contractor effectively implemented controls designed to prevent, limit, and detect electronic access to sensitive computing resources and to devices used to support the communication network," the GAO said. GAO gave CMS an early copy of the report, and Dr. Mark McClellan, CMS administrator, said in a July 10 letter the agency took quick action to fix the problems. CMS, working with its contractor, had fixed 22 of the 47 vulnerabilities identified by the July letter, and an additional 14 were scheduled to be fixed within weeks. The final 11 vulnerabilities were "somewhat more complex" and were scheduled to be fixed by Jan. 7, he wrote. "We are taking further steps to assure that none result in actual security breaches," McClellan added. "We have been proactive in our oversight of the network but are taking further steps to enhance security." GAO does not typically name contractors in its reports because its focus is on agency performance, a GAO spokesman said. A CMS spokesman said he did not know which contractor was involved in the network targeted by the GAO report. CMS uses multiple contractors, he said. The Medicare program is the nation's largest health-insurance program, covering 42 million U.S. citizens.
80850
Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in private, managed care plans cost the government 12.4 percent more than those in the traditional program last year, for a total cost of more than $5.2 billion, according to a study released Thursday.
593699
More than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor's offices, a count that doesn't even estimate patients' own medication mix-ups, says a report that calls for major steps to increase patient safety.
198340
Specialists told Congress that the way Medicare pays for the drug, used to treat dialysis patients, encourages overuse and raises the risk of heart complications.
254846
The US Justice Department (news - web sites) is investigating the medical supply industry over concerns that some health care providers bilked government programs including Medicare, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
48148
Be aware of the Medicare drug plan's gaps.