Thursday, April 22, 2021

Humana Inc. Overcharged Medicare Nearly $200 Million, Federal Audit Finds

 



Here is something that those of you in healthcare may find hard to believe (please not sarcasm in preceding sentence).  It seems that Humana, who strings along providers with supposed need for more and more information before they pay a claim, at the same time has been seriously overcharging the federal government's Medicaid Program.

Insurance companies have become more and more difficult to deal with and it has become harder and harder to get even simple claims paid on a timely basis... and Humana is definitely NO exception to that rule.  Being in the dental profession, I've always found it interesting that there are delays in paying and often accusations of unneeded treatment from companies that are often pocketing tens of millions of dollars from taxpayers in overcharges and overbilling for unneeded treatment.  Oh, and all of this money was received for patients in *one state*.  Florida, to be exact.

Is it just me or does that seem ironic to everyone?  I thought so.

Now, I understand and support processes and systems that keep things and people honest.  Trust, but verify is the smartest and most reliable way to do things.  My anger boils when  my office struggles to be paid for a $400 procedure while Humana, in ONE state, is overbilling 200 million dollars.  The numbers probably won't work out in the following example, but just to put this in perspective... if Humana is overcharging 200 million in one state, then with their being 50 states, that means 200,000,000 x 50=  $10,000,000,000 which is 10 billion (with a B).

There is a great story on this issue over at NPR.com.  Head on over and check it out!   


Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Oracle Partners with Dentists to provide Vital Support to Cancer Patients

 




In response to a critical need within the dental community to help support and care for patients undergoing cancer treatments, OraCare is pleased to announce the continuation and growth of their program, OraCare Cares.


“We were so happy when we found out that OraCare was giving patients relief during their cancer treatment.  There are so many things to worry about; mouth sores, burning sensation or dry mouth shouldn't be one of them.  My team and I got together and wondered how we can help more of these patients and that is how OraCare Cares was born.” noted OraCare CEO, Dr. Robert Martino.  

Officially launched in November of 2020, the OraCare Cares Program partners exclusively with established OraCare Providers and was developed from the dental industries constant commitment to caring for a patients’ oral and overall health.  The program goal is to provide comfort to cancer patients who are undergoing treatment by providing a complimentary set of the company’s simple, yet effective rinse.


Once an OraCare provider identifies a patient of need, the process to enroll that patient into OraCare Cares is quick and easy. By simply visiting the OraCare Cares webpage, the dental team can register their patient to receive a free set of OraCare.  It is then delivered to the patient’s door step, complete with product information, and a personalized card from the practice.   The team is kept involved in the delivery of their gift through shipment notifications, allowing them to follow up with their patient and remain an important part of the patient’s support system.


 “I am very happy to report that complimentary OraCare

Uploading: 6068 of 6068 bytes uploaded.

Cares packages have been sent to patients in all 50 states through this partnership with our OraCare Providers," says OraCare Sales Manager, Quinn Miller.  "It’s a great way for OraCare to support our practices and for those practices to in turn support someone going through one of the most challenging times of their life.”


OraCare Cares is a win-win program; it’s free for your patient, free for your practice, and allows you to help patients battle their symptoms from cancer treatment.  To learn more about the OraCare Cares Program and register your patient, please visit https://www.oracareproducts.com/oracarecares.html For additional questions, interviews and information; please contact OraCare’s Sales Manager, Quinn Miller.