A Senate bill introduced last week would impose a $500,000 surety bond requirement on providers of durable medical equipment (DME) to Medicare beneficiaries.
The bill, S.2603, the “Medicare Fraud Prevention Act of 2008,” would increase the $50,000 surety bond requirement by a factor of 10. The bill would also increase civil and criminal fines for Medicare fraud and abuse.
The bill is sponsored by Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), David Vitter (R-La.), and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
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Bill Popomaronis, R.Ph., NCPA vice president, home health and long term care pharmacy services, provides his thoughts and explanations on the latest DME information from CMS.
