Anesthesiologists, like other health care providers, can protect themselves from a devastating audit by creating and implementing a compliance program. The existence of a serious compliance program, and proof of good faith efforts to adhere to it, will help to negate any intent to obtain improper payment. Reliance on written advice from the Medicare carriers will do the same, at least for purposes of the U.S. Attorney. Another representative of the government, the medical director for the Texas Medicare carrier, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, provided an equally unusual and enlightening perspective. James F. Alexander, Jr., M.D., is a general surgeon who joined the carrier in 1994.
Many anesthesiologists are familiar with the example of monitored anesthesia care.
Dr. Alexander expressed his sense that locally developed policy is preferable to a single national standard in many instances. To serve as a source of expert medical opinion to the Health Care Financing Administration's Baltimore and regional organizations. There is a CAC for each state, and medical specialties and subspecialties are represented. A patient who was forced to postpone an aortic aneurysm repair took his story to the press. A local newspaper first reported the cancellations on January 24.