STERILE SALINE SOLUTIONS, IRRIGATION SYRINGES, LUBRICANTS
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
STERILE SALINE SOLUTIONS, IRRIGATION SYRINGES, LUBRICANTS account for 93%, or $81.8 mil., of $88 mil. in suspect Medicare billings, according to an HHS Inspector General's report on "Questionable Medicare Payments for Incontinence Supplies." Released Dec. 13, the report says that "in order for Medicare to pay for incontinence accessories the beneficiary must have a prosthetic device such as a catheter or a urinary collection device. However, $88 mil. was allowed for accessories that were not billed with a prosthetic device." The report notes that "virtually all allowances that did not meet Medicare guidelines were for just three supplies" -- sterile saline solutions, irrigation syringes and lubricants.