An investigation has been launched into billing practices at a Western Australian hospital. One of Australia's largest medical imaging providers is examining allegations of improper Medicare billing at Kalgoorlie Public Hospital. The concerns centre on the way certain services were billed. The matter has now drawn the attention of the state's authorities.
The state government has escalated the issue to a watchdog. The WA Health Minister referred the matter to the state's Corruption and Crime Commission. The referral was made amid concerns about double billing. There were also concerns about charging for services that were not received.
The minister's stance on the matter changed over time. Just weeks ago, the Health Minister was satisfied that no action was required. Since then, she has changed her mind. She referred the allegations, which involve the radiology unit at the Kalgoorlie Health Campus, to the commission.
During question time, the minister faced questions about the earlier handling. She was asked why her department's initial probe had turned up nothing. She said she had been assured by the department that there was no substance to the allegations. That assurance is now part of what the commission will examine.
The private company involved has responded to the allegations. Integral Diagnostics, which provides some imaging services at the hospital, says it is not aware of any billing issues on its part. Out of an abundance of caution, it will conduct an external audit. The aim is to confirm whether there are any billing anomalies.
Some of the billing is handled by another body. Bills are also entered into the system by the WA Country Health Service. Last week, that service sent an email urging staff to avoid improper Medicare billing. The email specifically warned against claiming rebates for radiologist consultations that did not occur and against charging twice for CT scans.
Documents suggest the concerns are not entirely new. According to records, the radiology company had previously raised concerns with the Country Health Service about non-compliant billing. It had also sought legal protection for its staff. For its part, the opposition says this could be the surface of a much broader issue, and that the Health Minister has a lot of explaining to do.