News-At-A-Glance: Protecting Medicare From Fraud

Draft legislation on protecting Medicare from fraud has implications for the laboratory industry. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) recently released a draft of the bill titled Protecting Integrity in Medicare Act of 2014. Among the provisions that may affect labs include removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards, reducing improper payments through education and the provision of specific data to a provider concerning erroneous payments, additional funding for the Health and Human Services inspector general, expansion of the Senior Medicare Patrol program to cover Medicaid and provide more incentives for seniors to participate, and alternative predetermined sanctions for technical violations of the Stark self-referral laws if voluntarily disclosed. Laboratory providers need not take any action other than commenting on the legislation at this time but should monitor the progress of this legislation.