Government

Physicians settle Medicare billing charges

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 22, 2004

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Temple University Physicians in late October agreed to pay the federal government nearly $1.9 million to settle allegations over the way it billed Medicare in the mid-1990s.

The organization, which consists of the physician practices of the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, did not have enough documentation to support claims it submitted to the Medicare Part B program in 1995-96, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The government also alleged that claims were improperly upcoded or represented a greater level of service than was actually provided.

The physicians' decision to settle is not an admission of guilt. The institution said it settled to avoid lengthy and costly litigation.

The civil settlement arises from an investigation and audit that the Dept. of Health and Human Services conducted as part of its Physicians At Teaching Hospitals initiative, commonly known as PATH. Nationally, 20 other teaching institutions have reached settlements with the government.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/11/22/gvbf1122.htm.

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