HHS-OIG Releases Medicare Advantage Toolkit to Guide Internal Auditing

As discussed here, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has prioritized investigating whether Medicare Advantage (“MA”) plans and providers have submitted unsupported risk-adjusting diagnosis codes, in violation of the False Claims Act.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) has also been active in this space and issued a number of audits of MA plans within the past few years, often focusing on diagnosis codes it characterizes as “high risk.”  HHS-OIG acknowledged that stakeholders “have asked us to share with them how we decided which diagnosis codes were at high risk for being miscoded,” and in response, HHS-OIG issued this toolkit detailing how it has used data analytics to guide its work.  The toolkit offers compliance functions at MA plans and providers a path to assessing whether their coding puts them at risk of government scrutiny.

(more…)

Second Circuit Leaves Open Novel Legal Theory that Flawed AI is a “Worthless Service”

In a decision issued last week, the Second Circuit was faced with the novel legal theory that use of flawed artificial intelligence systems can constitute a “worthless service” for purposes of FCA liability.  See Doe v. eviCore Healthcare MSI, LLC, No. 22-530-CV, 2023 WL 2249577 (2d Cir. Feb. 28, 2023).  The Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal for failure to satisfy the heightened Rule 9(b) pleading standard but did not reach the merits, leaving open the question of whether such a theory is viable under the FCA.

(more…)

Medicare Advantage Enforcement: DOJ Advances New Theories Based on Retrospective Chart Reviews

Over the past two months, DOJ has filed complaints-in-intervention in two FCA cases premised on allegedly fraudulent diagnosis codes submitted to CMS as a result of retrospective chart reviews.  These cases demonstrate how DOJ has begun to explore new legal theories that articulate a narrower view on the legality of retrospective chart reviews designed to add diagnosis codes. (more…)

D.C. Circuit Reinstates Parts C/D Overpayment Rule

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals recently overruled an earlier district court vacatur of the CMS Parts C/D Overpayment Rule, resulting in reinstatement of the rule.  The decision adopted the government’s arguments in full and is likely a harbinger of renewed confidence by DOJ in pressing forward with FCA cases premised on Medicare Advantage “upcoding.”

(more…)