MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., will have to repay more than $1.06 million in Medicare reimbursements to the government after an audit from the HHS Office of Inspector General found incorrectly billed inpatient and outpatient claims.
The OIG looked at 313 claims the hospital billed during 2010 and 2011. The 926-bed MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a teaching hospital, was found to have complied with Medicare billing requirements on only 44 percent of the claims.
Errors cited in report included billing Medicare for inpatient services when they should have been billed as outpatient or observation — one of the most common errors in OIG audits — as well as incorrect diagnosis-related group codes, excessive billed units of outpatient services and noncovered dental services, among other errors.
Officials at MedStar Washington Hospital Center agreed with most of the OIG's findings and recommendations, but they disagreed with some of the agency's review of the hospital's outpatient billing. The OIG stood by its report and maintained that all "findings and recommendations are valid."
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