By Staff Reporters
RPM CONSUMER ALERT
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General is alerting the public about a fraud scheme involving monthly billing for remote patient monitoring. This scam involves signing up Medicare enrollees for remote patient monitoring (RPM). Legitimate RPM involves using medical devices such as scales, glucose monitors, blood pressure cuffs, cardiac rhythm devices, and other equipment to remotely monitor for anomalies in patients with chronic medical conditions. This new treatment is beneficial for those whose condition might deteriorate quickly, where monitoring can reduce complications, hospitalizations, or death.
CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254
Unscrupulous companies are signing up Medicare enrollees for this service, regardless of medical necessity. Scammers have several ways to make contact. It may involve phone solicitations (“cold calling”), internet ads (“click bait”), or television advertising. These contacts may originate from a Durable Medical Equipment Company (DME) or pharmacy. Equipment may or may not be sent or is equipment that is not FDA-approved.
Billing then occurs for set-up, patient teaching, and monthly monitoring of data. Most often, the monthly monitoring never happens, but the enrollee is billed monthly anyway.
Source: OIG
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Filed under: Alerts Sign-Up, Book Reviews, Funding Basics, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Health Insurance, Healthcare Finance, Information Technology, LifeStyle, Quality Initiatives, Risk Management | Tagged: alert, click bait, cold calling, consumer alert, DHHS, DME, durable medical equipment, FDA, medicare, OIG, remote patient monitoring, RPM | Leave a comment »