Ineligible Medicare Payments To Skilled Nursing Facilities Under The Administrative Responsibility Of Medicare Northwest

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The objective of this audit was to determine the extent of ineligible Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) payments contained in our database of payments made under the administrative responsibility of Medicare Northwest.  We estimated that $2.1 million of ineligible SNF payments were made under the administrative responsibility of Medicare Northwest during calendar years 1997 through 2001.  The overpayments occurred because of the absence of an automated cross-check, within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Common Working File and the Fiscal Intermediary's claims processing systems, verifying that a three consecutive day inpatient hospital stay occurred prior to SNF admission.  Medicare Northwest concurred with the findings and recommendations.