Medicare expands its crackdown on fraud

Acting Medicare chief Kerry Weems has announced new efforts to combat fraud in seven states. Among the changes are more stringent background checks of equipment suppliers, unannounced visits to businesses, and more scrutiny of billing records submitted by doctors. Investigators also will conduct more interviews with beneficiaries to see whether they receive their supplies, and if they qualify for such benefits. The new measures come after several congressional reports have described questionable Medicare payments to medical providers across the country.