Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training Required for Medicare Providers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires all Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug health plans to ensure that their participating providers complete Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA) training no later than December 31, 2009, and annually thereafter.

To assist in streamlining the training process for providers, HealthCare Administrative Solutions (HCAS) and its member health plans have created a Web site that includes an online FWA training program to be completed by providers. In addition to Tufts Health Plan, other HCAS-participating plans that have Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug programs are Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Health New England.

Providers are urged to take the training online available through the HCAS Web site because the provider only needs to attest once for all five HCAS-participating health plans that the training has been completed. Otherwise, the provider will need to contact each health plan separately to attest to having taken the training.

In addition, a provider who has already taken the training at another location can complete the attestation screen to demonstrate completion of FWA training.

To Complete the Training
The online FWA Medicare Training is available on the HCAS Web site at hcasma.org. When you complete the training, click the link "ATTESTATION - Attest that you have completed the training."

If you need assistance or have questions about this training, please contact Tufts Health Plan Medicare Preferred Provider Relations at 800-279-9022.

July 20, 2009