Physicians Lose Appeal on Revocation of Medicare Privileges

Husband-and-wife physicians lost a lawsuit to restore their right to bill Medicare after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ended their billing privileges for violating program rules.

A Medicare regulation specifically allows the CMS, an arm of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, to revoke Medicare billing privileges when a health-care provider submits bills for services furnished when he or she was out of the country, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said April 12.

Mohammad Nawaz and Zille Shah conceded their offices submitted reimbursement claims under their unique Medicare National Provider Identifier numbers for ...