CMS found Medicare Advantage online directories contained incorrect information of nearly 50 percent of the 5,832 listed physicians for 54 MA plans, according to Chicago Sun Times.
For the survey, CMS called 108 physicians across specialties including primary care, cardiology, ophthalmology and oncology for the Medicare Advantage companies.
Here are seven things to know:
1. The survey uncovered the listings with the most errors entailed physicians with multiple offices that did not serve health plan members at each location. CMS officials noted this error could occur if the physician was retired, saw patients at a different location or never worked at the listed address.
2. Although unlikely, officials also said the aforementioned error could have occurred if the physician never contracted with the Medicare health plan.
3. CMS found the incorrect phone numbers for 521 physicians' offices and wrong addresses for 633 physicians' offices.
4. For physicians surveyed for five MA plans, CMS noted error rates surpassing 60 percent.
5. While CMS has not issued any fines at this date, the agency could still do so. Chicago Sun Times reports MA directory inaccuracies could result in penalties up to $25,000 a day per beneficiary or bans on new enrollment and marketing.
6. The report found the highest error rates involved primary care physicians and cardiologists.
7. CMS has not provided the name of the payers the agency surveyed.