Corporate Compliance

CMS warns industry about fax scam

Compliance Monitor, June 24, 2009

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Compliance Monitor!

On June 18, many providers received an alert message from CMS informing them that scammers are sending fake faxes and posing as a Medicare carrier or Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) in order to obtain billing information.
 
The agency discovered the scheme when several providers called CMS after receiving the suspicious faxes, according to Peter Ashkenaz, CMS deputy director of media affairs. The faxes asked physician staff to respond to a questionnaire and provide an account information update within 48 hours in order to prevent a gap in Medicare payments. The faxes may have included the CMS or MAC logo.
 
Ashkenaz says CMS wanted to get the word out to providers immediately. “At this time, we don’t know much more than what is in the release,” Ashkenaz says.
 
Ashkenaz adds he could not speculate on what charges the scammer/scammers could face or what could be done with the information, but he said possession of billing information could lead to fraudulent billing of Medicare or other insurance providers.
 
CMS informed physicians and non-physician practitioners that they should be wary of the request and check with their contractor before submitting any information. Medicare providers should only send information to a Medicare contractor using the address found in the download section of the CMS.gov Web site found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo/ or http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Compliance Monitor!

    Briefings on The Joint Commission

  • Briefings on The Joint Commission

    Briefings on The Joint Commission will help you with all of your accreditation and survey preparation needs. Every month...

  • Billing Alert for Long-Term Care

    It's essential to know how to correctly submit your Medicare claims in order to get the reimbursement your facility...

  • Strategies for Health Care Compliance

    News and real-life examples to increase the effectiveness of your compliance program. Strategies for Health Care Compliance...

  • Compliance Monitor

    This HTML e-mail newsletter delivers news on Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse, as well as recent documents and targets...

  • Homecare Audit Prevention:

    Home health care is under more layers of regulatory scrutiny than ever before. Plus, under health care reform, the...

Most Popular

Related Articles