Saint Louis University Hospital failed to comply with Medicare billing requirements for 18 of 261 inpatient and outpatient claims reviewed by HHS' Office of Inspector General for the audit period of 2011 through 2012, according to a recent OIG report.
The 18 claims that did not comply with Medicare billing requirements resulted in the hospital receiving $118,576 in overpayments, according to the OIG.
Based on its findings, the OIG recommended the hospital refund the Medicare contractor $39,448 in overpayments for three incorrectly billed inpatient claims and work with the Medicare contractor to return $79,128 in net overpayments that were outside the three-year recovery period. The OIG also recommended the hospital strengthen controls to ensure full compliance with Medicare requirements.
Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, which owned the hospital during the audit period, agreed with the OIG's findings.
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