Complete Text of Report is available in PDF format (161 kb). Copies can also be obtained by contacting the Office of Public Affairs at 202-619-1343.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The objective of this audit was to determine the extent of ineligible Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) payments, attributable to Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire, Inc. (Anthem), contained in a database of payments made under the administrative responsibility of nine Medicare Fiscal Intermediaries (FI’s). Our review of the database estimated that $206,495 of ineligible SNF payments were made under the administrative responsibility of Anthem during calendar years 1997 through 2001. The overpayments occurred due to the absence of an automated cross-check, within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Common Working File and the Fiscal Intermediary’s (FI) claims processing systems, verifying that a three consecutive day inpatient hospital stay occurred prior to SNF admission. Anthem will not initiate recovery actions on the ineligible payments within our database due to a CMS memorandum which instructed all FIs not to initiate any recovery actions.