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Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Inspector General -- AUDIT

"Review of Claims for Multiple Procedures Performed in the Same Operative Session in Ambulatory Surgical Centers," (A-07-03-02662)

December 9, 2002


Complete Text of Report is available in PDF format (537 KB). Copies can also be obtained by contacting the Office of Public Affairs at 202-619-1343.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Regulations require that when multiple services are provided in the same operative session, the highest paying procedure is reimbursable at the full payment rate while the other procedures are reimbursable at one-half the normal payment rate.  Our review of the Noridian Mutual Insurance Company’s (NMIC) systems showed that NMIC failed to identify such instances, which resulted in provider overpayments for calendar years 1999 through 2001 of approximately  $99,346, $81,447, and  $142,758 ($323,551), respectively.  Included in the identified overpayments is approximately $65,439 in beneficiary overpayments for coinsurance.  Most of the overpayments occurred because the carrier’s processing system did not identify multiple procedures performed during the same session when submitted on separate claims.