From 2010 through 2011, WellSpan York (Pa.) Hospital received $204,226 from Medicare for claims that incorrectly used codes for kwashiorkor, according to a report from the HHS Office of Inspector General.
WellSpan York, the 572-bed flagship and teaching hospital of WellSpan Health, is expected to return those funds to the government and strengthen its Medicare billing compliance for kwashiorkor claims, the OIG said.
The hospital is the latest to be highlighted in the OIG's probe of kwashiorkor claims. Kwashiorkor is a form of severe protein malnutrition that mostly affects children in famine-stricken areas and developing countries. Kwashiorkor is not common in the U.S., but Medicare still provides reimbursement for its treatment.
Palmetto Health Baptist in Columbia, S.C., Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, and Christus Saint Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, N.M., have also been flagged by the OIG for erroneous kwashiorkor claims.
More Articles on Hospitals and Kwashiorkor Claims:
OIG Tags Another Hospital for Incorrect Kwashiorkor Billing
Prime Healthcare Facility in California Curbs Billing for Kwashiorkor
FBI Interviews Prime Hospital Patient About Malnutrition Billing