Tag: Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC)
Audit round up: RACs cut checks, UPICs run roughshod
June 28, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - Nearly two years after Performant Recovery announced it would perform an underpayment review for Group 3 power wheelchair options, providers are receiving refund checks, says Andrea Stark.
Performant, the DMEPOS RAC, announced in May 2017 it would review wheelchair accessories, including seating systems, and seat and back cushions furnished in conjunction with codes K0848—K0864 for the six-month period of Jan. 1, 2016—June 30, 2016. The review was necessary because...
van Halem: 'Aggressive' UPICs take over
September 24, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ATLANTA - It's time for HME providers to reacquaint themselves with the Unified Program Integrity Contractors, or UPICs, says Wayne van Halem. CMS announced plans to create this new program integrity contractor years ago, but after numerous protests and transitions, the UPICs are only now “fully operational,” says van Halem, president of The van Halem Group. Here's what he had to say about where the UPICs are looking first.
HME News: Who are the UPICs?
Wayne van Halem: There...
Safeguard Services tapped for UPIC contract
February 2, 2017HME News Staff
CAMP HILL, Pa. - SafeGuard Services has been awarded the Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) for the Northeastern Jurisdiction. UPICs are new CMS contractors that will be replacing the functions of: Zone Program Integrity Contractor (ZPIC), Program Safeguard Contractor (PSC), and Medicaid Integrity Contractor (MIC). The Northeastern Jurisdiction consists of the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,...
Short takes from AAHomecare
July 14, 2016HME News Staff
Healthcare consulting firm Dobson DaVanzo & Associates will open the DME Industry Cost Analysis Study the week of July 18. The study, sponsored by AAHomecare, will look at the cost of providing HME in multiple product categories under threat by competitive bidding. There is no fee to participate and the data submitted is kept confidential…Providers can submit their second quarter audit data to the HME Audit Key starting July 15. The HME Audit Key requires providers to submit cumulative counts...
Get ready to add UPIC to the HME lexicon
August 16, 2013Elizabeth Deprey
WASHINGTON - A new auditor that's in the works has the potential to streamline the process, but it will likely mean more activity, as well, industry stakeholders say.“Anytime there's a new contractor, they tend to be more active,” said Wayne van Halem, president of the Atlanta-based van Halem Group.CMS this month announced plans to create a new program integrity contractor for Medicare and Medicaid called a Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC). The agency plans to fold the existing...