Massage Therapists, Chiropractors Wrote Drug Prescriptions They Shouldn’t Have—and Medicare Paid

[WestVirginiaRebel]

ABC News:

In 2009, massage therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors and other professionals wrote hundreds of thousands of drug prescriptions without the authority to do so.

In some cases these were controlled substances like oxycodone, but Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs, paid for them anyway.

A report by the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general outlines how, in 2009, Medicare’s prescription-drug benefit paid for prescriptions written by health and health-related professionals who did not have the authority to write them under Medicare’s rules. Prescriptions were written by massage therapists, athletic trainers, dietitians, audiologists, opticians, contractors, home health aides, interpreters, transportation companies, lodging companies, speech-language assistants, music and art therapists, nursing technicians, veterinarians.

Through the private insurers that contract as Medicare Part D providers, the total came to $5.4 million for 72,552 of these prescriptions nationwide.

Another $26.2 million was paid out for prescriptions written by social workers, chiropractors, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and counselors–another group of professionals who also didn’t have the authority to prescribe these drugs–in the 10 states that account for more than half of all Medicare Part D payments. (Those states are California, Florida, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, Michigan and New Jersey.)

ABC News obtained the report exclusively.

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Imagine what it'll be like under Obamacare.