The government has paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims including medical treatment showing little relation to a patient's condition. Excerpts of a new federal report show a dramatic increase in improper payments in the $440 billion Medicare program that government auditors have cited as a high risk for fraud and waste for 20 years. Much of the increase in the past year is attributed to a change in the Department of Health and Human Services' methodology that imposes stricter documentation requirements and includes more improper payments.
