Premier group vindicated
Clarksville practice breathes sigh of relief

By Getahn Ward

After 18 months, three levels of appeals and $150,000 in legal expenses, doctors with Premier Medical Group in Clarksville can breathe a sigh of relief after an administrative law judge ruled in their favor in a dispute with Medicare last month.

Barring another appeal, the decision ends a process that began when two employees of a Medicare contractor that searches for billing errors and overpayments showed up unannounced to review 120 claims filed over two years.

"We felt like we had moved to a foreign country or something where we had no rights," said Bob McCorkle, chief administrator with Premier. "We were guilty until we proved ourselves innocent."

Premier officials say the inquiry was costly, confrontational and marred by poor communication with the Medicare contractor, AdvanceMed Corp. Other doctors question whether federal contractors hired to review billing information apply medical codes fairly when deciding if doctors have collected too much for
their services.