Auditors rap HCFA

The Health Care Financing Administration needs to supervise its fraud cops better, according to a report from the General Account ing Office (GAO).

The report says six of HCFA’s contractors have had to pay $235 million in penalties since 1993 for reasons including improper payment of claims, destroying backlogged claims, and failing to recoup money owed Medicare. All the contractors reviewed by the GAO failed to completely document the amount of money providers owed Medicare due to overpayments and claims that should have been paid by other insurers, says the GAO.