Medicare audit overreach? Doctors think so, but audits aren't going away

Aggressive tactics, vague charges, interrupted patient care, drained staff resources and administrative headaches. These are some of the problems doctors say they encountered during their experiences with Medicare's newest breed of auditor. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this spring wrapped up a three-year pilot program in which "recovery audit contractors," or RACs, scoured physician and hospital claims in three states to find overpayments and to recoup those dollars for Medicare. Thrilled by the project's financial success, lawmakers ordered CMS to expand the program to all 50 states by 2010. The agency plans to choose four national contractors to administer the program this summer. A new round of audits could start right away. By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. July 7, 2008