What do Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) aim to correct?

Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) primarily focus on identifying and correcting improper payments made to Medicare. Their role is to conduct audits to ensure that claims processed by Medicare are accurate, aligning with the services provided, and compliant with regulations. The intention behind this is to safeguard the Medicare Trust Fund by preventing waste and fraud, ensuring that only eligible services and claims receive reimbursement.

Improper payments may include overpayments made to healthcare providers due to billing errors or services that do not meet the criteria for coverage. By auditing these claims, RACs help in reclaiming funds where mistakes have occurred, thereby promoting accountability and financial stewardship within the Medicare program.

The other choices, while related to claims management and healthcare delivery, do not encapsulate the primary mission of RACs. For instance, speeding up claims processing does not align with the correction of payment discrepancies. Similarly, while patient documentation errors and insurance claim denials are important factors in the overall healthcare claims landscape, they are not the direct focus of the RAC function. Therefore, the emphasis on correcting improper payments to Medicare accurately represents the primary purpose of Recovery Audit Contractors.