Medicare providers complain of duplicative audits

Health care companies say they're losing millions of dollars that are tied up in appeals because of increasing numbers of Medicare audits. But the rise in the often duplicative audits has failed to reduce Medicare fraud, according to a report released Wednesday. In recent years, the Obama administration has added manpower to investigate cases, increase audits and analyze more data to fight fraud in the taxpayer-funded Medicare program. Yet a report from the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging criticized the government for not targeting its resources more effectively.