By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Inspector General Highlights Latest Episode in Medicare Waste
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Inspector General Highlights Latest Episode in Medicare Waste
Policy & Law

Inspector General Highlights Latest Episode in Medicare Waste

MichaelDouglas1
MichaelDouglas1
Share
2 Min Read
SHARE

 

It’s not only the direct providers of patient care — the physicians, NPs, PAs, and other ancillaries — with whom one has to worry about issues of drug diversion and other modalities of inappropriate prescribing of narcotics; it’s also CMS. The feds yesterday announced the findings of a report based upon data from 2009 that alleges Medicare’s involvement in the inappropriate renewal of Schedule II narcotics as part of the Part D prescription benefit.

 

It’s not only the direct providers of patient care — the physicians, NPs, PAs, and other ancillaries — with whom one has to worry about issues of drug diversion and other modalities of inappropriate prescribing of narcotics; it’s also CMS. The feds yesterday announced the findings of a report based upon data from 2009 that alleges Medicare’s involvement in the inappropriate renewal of Schedule II narcotics as part of the Part D prescription benefit.

More Read

ACOs and HMOs
Are ACOs the New HMOs?
Weekly Roundup: Eyeing the Solutions
How A Low Literate Adult Experiences the Healthcare System
Aging Gracefully, Part 2: Slowing the Aging Process
EHR System Optimization Strategies For Top-Notch Performance

The report said nearly 400,000 Schedule II prescriptions were wrongly refilled, or about 2 percent of all Schedule II prescriptions billed  under Medicare Part D in 2009. Of those 400,000, more than 25,000 also lacked some required information, including the name, address or signature of the prescriber.

Medicare fraud is one thing, but the lack of streamlined bureaucratic process that results in over $25M in the inappropriate dispensing of potentially abused drugs underscores that reform of Medicare and Medicaid is a heck of a lot more than a one-trick pony. It’s more than making some weak-willed promise to “create oversight” to ”curb” the problem. It’s more than just touting photo ops in which unscrupulous prescribers are showcased to “prove” the war on fraud is actually proceeding nicely. It’s about restoring trust in a program’s original reasons for existence, and it will take much, much more than a ideological presidential campaign promise to make the system work and benefit those who need it most. |

 

TAGGED:Medicare waste
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

The Best Investments To Make In Your Health This Year

May 18, 2020

Seeing Red for Heart Health

February 3, 2013
Policy & Law

Making Sense of Health Care Prices

September 22, 2011

Paul O’Neill on Protecting Our Healthcare Workforce: #NPSFLLI7

September 29, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?