Intelligence Unit
Special Reports
Special Events
Subscribe
Sponsored
Departments
- Leadership
- Finance
- Technology
- Physicians
- Community Hospitals
- Health Plans
- Marketing
- Quality
- Nursing
- HR
Follow Us
OIG Slams Medicare for Wheelchair Reimbursements, Again
Medicare paid $95 million during the first half of 2007 for beneficiaries' power wheelchairs that were not medically necessary or for which claims lacked sufficient documentation, according to an audit released by the Office of Inspector General.
With scooter and wheelchair hawkers on TV , e-mail and other media, showing scooter-bound persons practically "dancing" in their wheelchair tauting "and it didn't cost me a dime", what would you expect? These are the most outrageous and boldest advertisements for items that are meant to be "required" for medical reasons, not for joyrides! I am glad that Feds are now capturing these bandits. Should have happened long time ago. In the mean time, many such con-artists have become millionaires.
Just the propensity of scooters and powerchairs suppliers to have massive budget for TV and e-mail media blitz uabashingly advertizing that it will "Not cost you a dime", and the ever-growing number of such hawkers should alert anyone that this must be a very lucrative business to be in.