TBG Providing Free Medicare Advantage FWA Training - Required by 12/31/09

Larkspur, CO, October 14, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Medicare Advantage Organizations, Prescription Drug Organizations, and Prescription Drug Plan Sponsors must complete specific training on fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) by year’s end. TBG Fraud Solutions has now added FWA to the list of training curriculum modules available at little or no charge to qualifying health care practices nationwide.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memo clarifying this requirement in late August 2009. With so many new training requirements issued in 2009, it is not surprising that this one may have been overlooked by many participating organizations.

CMS has indicated that general FWA training topics include, but not be limited to, laws pertaining to Medicare Advantage (False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback statute, etc.), appropriate policies and procedures, how to report suspected FWA, employee protections, and types of FWA. While the topics to be addressed for FWA are unique, there remain areas of overlap with other laws such as HIPAA, HITECH, and FACTA Red Flags Rule. One common denominator is the proper handling of sensitive information.

Whether it is a data breach, insurance fraud, or medical identity theft, the problems for a health care practice are essentially the same: fines, fees, lawsuits, and potentially devastating publicity. TBG understands that information security applies to all staff, not just the IT department. A medical facility is not a financial institution, but the amount of valuable information stored in each can be similar. As such, medical personnel should conduct their operations with the same “culture of security” as a bank teller.

Individuals employed in the medical industry have widespread access to sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, insurance and credit card account numbers, and more. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country. Medical identity theft is one of the fastest growing types of this crime, resulting in health care practices finding themselves on the front lines of a criminal epidemic. A well trained and security conscious staff will understand the importance of the information with which they interact each day and operate accordingly, resulting in reduced liability for the organization.

John Chapman is a certified expert in identity theft risk management, an affiliate member of CMGMA and PPAHCOM, and a managing partner of TBG Fraud Solutions, a national employee training firm. He specializes in providing on-site employee training, documentation, and risk management solutions for qualifying health care organizations at little or no cost, and can be reached at 877-FRAUD-47 or fraudsolutions@gmail.com.

###