Dive Brief:
- Federal fraud investigators are increasingly hitting healthcare organizations with civil investigative demands (CIDs), which typically are structured as broadly as possible.
- To narrow the scope of what they must produce, healthcare organizations can start by talking with the government, and hopefully get to the bottom of what the government is searching for in its CID.
- Another way to narrow the scope is to demonstrate to the government -- with specific details, not vague generalities about the cost or hassle factors -- how the broad request will impose a major hardship on your organization.
Dive Insight:
It's never a happy day when you learn that the government's fraud investigators are looking into your healthcare organization. But if you open a dialogue with investigators, while cooperating as fully as possible, you're much more likely to end up with a narrower CID than when you started. That being said, however, be aware that not all requests for altering CIDs with be accepted by the government, especially if you're being investigated for systemic false billing or illegal conduct, notes Healthcare Finance News.