First we had our good friend Mr. Mai in Mass. Now we have several cases in Mississippi including Dr. Thomas allegedly and incorrectly billing PT services to CMS in the neighborhood of $16 Million. Per the OIG release:
“…the so-called physical therapy services were provided in patients’ homes by unqualified, inadequately trained, unlicensed technicians with no supervision and then billed as though Dr. Thomas had provided or supervised the services”
A couple of observations:
1. Isn’t “unqualified, inadequately trained, unlicensed technicians with no supervision” wordy, redundant, and verbose!? Doesn’t it to a certain extent display how uninformed CMS is regarding technicians since they are all by definition for in home services unqualified? Can you have an adequately trained, unlicensed technician, with no supervision in a person’s home? At least not according to the rules.
2. Of note, is that these cases are out and out fraud. Many within our own profession are trying to scare PT’s with the “F” word by their own self-rightous interpretation on various rules that CMS has as well as CPT codes which are often in conflict or superimposed on state regs. These case are none of that-they are clear and conscious attempts to rip off the government by crooks.
thoughts?
