The HHS Office of Inspector General isn't thrilled by the fact that your carriers can't track services that are billed incident-to. CMS isn't thrilled by one of OIG's proposed solutions.

Connolly Healthcare will be targeting physicians and outpatient hospitals after gaining CMS approval to investigate seven specific issues. However, the recovery audit contractor (RAC) says only South Carolina is affected. Connolly is the first RAC to release its CMS-approved issues publicly. Below is a list of those issues, but look for more coverage of this news in the next Part B News issue and on www.partbnews.com. 

ABC News reports Democratic leaders in Congress are preparing for a "Plan B" in the event health care reform negotiations further breakdown among Democrats in the House and a bipartisan group of six Senate Finance Committee members.

A new Medicare crime strike force is wasting no time going after physicians and health care executives involved in alleged fraud. Investigations by the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) led to 32 doctors and executives being indicted for allegedly filing $16 million in fraudulent Medicare claims, officials announced July 29.

I don't often practice reading too much into anything and jumping to conclusions, but this statement that just arrived in my email box from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) would lead me to believe that bipartisan talks at the Senate Finance Committee level are breaking down? Or, perhaps Democrats are just getting impatient, and Sen. Grassley is just saying everything's going to be alright, just give us some time?