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So, Medicare encourages doctors to perform some testing, but they discovered there was abusive billing relating to simply urine tests, so the doctors started doing more expensive high-tech testing for a whole range of different drugs which very few seniors use, and they bill them separately for each substance.
In other words in stead of cutting back on the abuse, they put it on steroids.
What a scam.
Last edited by Finn_Jarber; 11-11-2014 at 11:13 AM..
They started testing for a host of different drugs—including illegal ones that few seniors ever use—and billing the federal health program for the elderly and disabled separately for each substance.
Medicare’s spending on 22 high-tech tests for drugs of abuse hit $445 million in 2012, up 1,423% in five years.
The program spent $14 million that year just on tests for angel dust, or PCP. Sue Brown, a laboratory director in Brunswick, Ga., said she has never seen someone over 65 test positive for angel dust, in 25 years in the business.
For dozens of pain doctors, Medicare payments for drug testing have eclipsed their income from treating patients, a Wall Street Journal analysis of 2012 billing data shows. The billing data for 880,000 providers were released in April after a long legal effort by the Journal.
In Raleigh, N.C., pain specialist Robert Wadley started doing high-tech drug tests in his office in 2010 with equipment he installed there. Drug testing accounted for 82% of his medical practice’s Medicare payments in 2012.
“Urine drug testing is how I pay the bills,” Dr. Wadley said.
Yes-
This is a new scam among unethical physicians. We have had a few companies call our practice about establishing such "drug testing" plans and we told them to go to hell.
We order urine drug tests (the board requires this). However, we stratify risk and making the decision to order drug tests. Oddly, higher aged patients (medicare) have, on the average, a very low risk of prescription abuse, therefore we order these tests (through a vendor) RARELY in this population.
Another scam they are doing is "genetic testing" to determine those patients who are high metabolizers of drugs. Obviously, they make very good money on these tests. I see them as somewhat useless, as if a patient does not respond to one drug, you simply try them on another, rather than blowing money on a test that really does not alter your decision making process.
Fortunately, these con men physicians are few and far between, but seem to be concentrated in certain areas of medicine and certain regions of the country.
It's the disabled, getting Medicare and being prescribed opiate pain medication on a regular basis who are being tested.
If that is true, "young" medicare patients (those on disability) and medicaid patients DO have a higher risk of abuse. If the tests are done on seniors, then it is a waste of time.
Medical boards, given the tidal wave of abuse, DEMAND that urine drug screening be done on patients recieving pain meds. If a practice has a high number of medicare/disability and medicaid patients (we do not), then one would expect a larger number of urine drug screens. To not screen would put the practitioner in jeopardy with the board.
Thanks for sharing your opinion, but so far they have not found a single 65+ yr old with angel dust in their system.
We DO FIND seniors with cocaine and pot in thier urine, but it is not as common as younger patients. With the 60s generation aging, you would be surprised at how many still use street drugs.
Further, one of the reasons to test is to make sure that the drug being prescribed SHOWS UP IN URINE. That is a much more common occurance in seniors who are selling prescription meds.
Again, the board DEMANDS UDS testing on those receiving pain meds. However, seniors tend to be lower risk, therefore our practice tests them much less frequently (i.e. NEVER for anyone over age 80 and maybe every other year for one 65-70).
"Young" medicare (those on disability) are very high risk for prescription abuse.
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