OIG finds psychiatric services problematic
Compliance Monitor, January 24, 2001
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The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said 39% of psychiatric services in nursing homes are either medically unnecessary, have no mental health documentation, or are questionable, in a report released last week. Of all services reviewed in their study, the OIG found psychological testing most problematic.
The OIG recommends that the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) strengthen the billing process for psychiatric services in nursing homes by working with carriers to develop guidelines for the appropriate frequency and duration of such services, identify specific psychological testing instruments that can be appropriately billed as psychological testing, and take advantage of the Minimum Data Set. The OIG said they believed implementing these recommendations could result in savings of up to $30 million a year.
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