CMS says scammers are sending Medicare providers and suppliers phishing fax requests for medical records and documentation, falsely claiming to be part of a Medicare audit. This notice was posted on the CMS website:
“CMS has identified a fraud scheme targeting Medicare providers and suppliers. Scammers are impersonating CMS and sending phishing fax requests for medical records and documentation, falsely claiming to be part of a Medicare audit.
Important: CMS doesn’t initiate audits by requesting medical records via fax. Protect your information. If you receive a suspicious request, don’t respond. If you think you got a fraudulent or questionable request, work with your Medical Review Contractor to confirm if it’s real.”
Audits in the wound care space are ubiquitous and ongoing – usually focused on the use of “skin substitutes,” debridement charges and hyperbaric oxygen. You will almost always be notified in the form of an actual letter sent in the mail. A major problem is that the letter may be sent to one of many departments in the hospital/healthcare system administration, or sometimes to the office of a practitioner’s medical biller. The irony here is that it may be hard to find out about (and properly respond) to a real audit. Increased awareness of the audit climate could cause clinicians to be fooled by these scams. Watch out!
–Caroline
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
