When reviewing our most recent accreditation process satisfaction survey comments, we discovered that some compliance officers weren’t aware that CMS requires ABC surveyors to contact and speak with Medicare patients during all onsite surveys. Let’s address this important part of the survey process for those who may be unaware of this requirement or have forgotten about it since your last survey.

Here are the basics:

• CMS requires ABC surveyors to contact and speak with a few randomly selected Medicare patients from your practice.
• Someone from your staff should be present for these calls so they can address any follow-up questions or concerns the patient may have.
• Your surveyor will go over the questions they plan to ask with you or a designated staff member prior to calling patients. Your surveyor will inform your patients that they are calling them as part of your quality assurance program.
• Your surveyor will confirm with the patient that they received a specific device/item and ask:
  • Were you given information on the function, care and use of your device?
  • Were you told the benefits and precautions of your device?
  • Were you asked to make a follow-up appointment?
  • Were you provided contact information in the event of problems before your next visit?
  • Do you have any questions about the device or services you received?

While allowing your surveyor to directly call a sampling of your patients may seem slightly invasive, it is all in an effort to prevent fraud and abuse of the Medicare program, a program in which millions of Americans depend for vital health care services and drugs. We want you to be aware of this CMS requirement, so that you aren’t caught off guard and to ensure we are all doing our part to prevent fraud within our profession.