Victoria Bailey, for RevCycle Intelligence:
The COVID-19 Uninsured Program, administered by HRSA, allowed providers to enroll and submit claims for reimbursement of COVID-19 testing and treatment provided to uninsured individuals. OIG conducted the audit to determine if claims reimbursed through the program complied with federal requirements.
The audit covered claims for 19 million patients with associated Uninsured Program provider payments totaling $4.2 billion between March 1 and December 31, 2020. OIG reviewed a stratified sample of 300 patients with associated provider payments totaling $2.8 million. …
Based on the sample results, OIG estimated that nearly $784 million of the $4.2 billion in Uninsured Program payments made to providers were improper.