Watchdog Scrutinizes Medicare Telehealth Billing During Pandemic

The Biden administration should strengthen its oversight and education of Medicare telehealth providers, particularly those suspected of improper or fraudulent billing practices, a federal watchdog agency recommended Wednesday.

A report by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General found 1,714 telehealth providers—that billed Medicare nearly $128 million during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic—posed a “high risk” to the Medicare program.

All of the providers “had concerning billing on at least 1 of 7 measures we developed that may indicate fraud, waste, or abuse of telehealth services,” the report said. “All of these providers warrant ...