01/08/2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should provide best practices and guidance to its contractors for detecting potential fraud associated with electronic health records, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General recommended in a report released today. In addition, CMS should direct its contractors to use EHR audit logs when reviewing medical records, OIG said. In the report, CMS agreed with the first recommendation, noting that it intends to develop guidelines to ensure appropriate use of the copy paste feature in EHRs. It said audit logs “may not be appropriate in every circumstance and should be part of a comprehensive approach to reviewing the authenticity of EHRs.” According to a report released by OIG last month, hospitals are employing many recommended safeguards against fraud in their EHRs. The December report looked at the extent to which hospitals that received EHR Medicare incentive payments between January 2011 and March 2012 implemented certain fraud safeguards recommended by Office of the National Coordinator contractor RTI International.
Source: AHA News
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