The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) enters billings for some of the radiology services conducted by Apex.<\/p>\n
An email sent to WACHS staff last week, seen by the ABC, urged them to ensure they were complying with Medicare billing rules.<\/p>\n
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The radiology department at Kalgoorlie Health Campus is operated by Integral Diagnostics’ subsidiary, Apex Radiology. (ABC Goldfields: Madina Jaffari)<\/p>\n
The email listed several examples of improper practices to avoid, including entering the incorrect Medicare billing codes that resulted in double-billing, and charging for services not received.<\/p>\n
The concerns included improperly claiming rebates for radiologist consultations when patients were not receiving those consultations, and charging twice for CT scans.<\/p>\n
Integral Diagnostics company secretary John Merity said the company was “not aware of any billing issue on our part”.<\/p>\n
“IDX [Integral Diagnostics] and Apex are obviously concerned about the allegations being made and out of an abundance of caution we will conduct an external audit to confirm that there are no billing anomalies,” Mr Merity told the ABC.<\/p>\n
In an ASX stock exchange announcement on Tuesday, Integral Diagnostics said it did not directly benefit from any Medicare rebates at the Kalgoorlie hospital.<\/p>\n
“Diagnostic imaging at the Kalgoorlie Hospital is performed by WACHS staff apart from one MRI technician who is provided by Apex Radiology,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
“Apex Radiology receives a fee from WACHS for providing the radiologist reporting services.”<\/p>\n
In a statement, WACHS said staff were “regularly communicated clear expectations” about Medicare billing practices.<\/p>\n
“WA Country Health Service regularly reviews billing processes in line with legislative frameworks,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“As the matter is with the Corruption and Crime Commission, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment.”<\/p>\n
Corruption watchdog involved<\/p>\n
WA Health Minister Meredith Hammat said her department had conducted an earlier investigation that did not identify any concerns, but in light of new information, had referred the matter to the state’s Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC).<\/p>\n
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Meredith Hammat says reviews have so far not identified any wrongdoing at the hospital. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)<\/p>\n
“My office received additional information, we shared that with the department, they then came to a different view,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We have made a referral so that we can have a closer look at the billing practices, so that we are clear about what’s going on here.”<\/p>\n
Ms Hammat said the person who conducted the initial investigation was “on a period of leave”, but did not clarify why.<\/p>\n
“I’m confident that the people who were involved in the initial investigations are not in a position to influence the work that’s going on at the moment,” she said.<\/p>\n
The CCC has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n
‘No concerns elsewhere’<\/p>\n
WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said he was “really concerned” when asked if the allegations could indicate a broader issue.<\/p>\n
“Health Minister Meredith Hammat has a lot of explaining to do,” he said.<\/p>\n
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Basil Zempilas says he is “really concerned” about the allegations. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)<\/p>\n
Ms Hammat said the reviews thus far had not identified any wrongdoing at the Kalgoorlie hospital, and said there was no information to suggest there were issues with bulk billing at other public hospitals or clinics.<\/p>\n
“There’s nothing that’s been flagged with me that suggests there’s any concerns with practices elsewhere,” she said.<\/p>\n