Firm News
Partner Jolie Apicella Quoted in Xtelligent Healthcare on Telehealth and Healthcare Fraud
On August 15, 2024, Partner Jolie Apicella was quoted in the Xtelligent Healthcare article titled, “How telehealth providers can mitigate healthcare fraud risk.”
Commenting on the uptick in the share of telehealth visits for behavioral health conditions, Jolie says, “Then when you combine that with drug distribution, and especially with controlled drug distribution, the DOJ will take that very seriously because they don’t want the use of telemedicine to [be linked to] e-prescribing drugs and controlled substances that are not necessary.”
Jolie also explains that documenting telehealth visits is critical to mitigating fraud risk. She says, “If you have a billing requirement that you need behavioral health visits to be 16 minutes at minimum to be billable, make sure that you have that documented and make sure your bills reflect that.” Jolie suggests conducting regular audits using six months to one year of data to determine documentation gaps or billing errors.
Regarding telehealth-based prescriptions, Jolie emphasizes that healthcare providers should not have auto-refill policies without the appropriate patient encounters. Prescribers must conduct virtual visits with patients and document those visits to detail why the prescriptions are necessary.
Jolie agrees that the potential for fraud and consequent government crackdowns will continue to grow as telehealth and other digital health tools become further integrated into healthcare delivery.
To read the full article, click here.
