NTR Vaidya Seva Trust penalises 203 hospitals, slaps Rs 34 cr fines

Amaravati: The NTR Vaidya Seva Trust has imposed fines totalling Rs 34.39 crore on 203 hospitals for irregularities during the 2024-25 to 2026-27 period, stepping up action against violations in the implementation of the government’s cashless healthcare scheme.

The disciplinary measures include suspension of 25 hospitals, withholding payments to 13 hospitals, removal of five hospitals from the network and cancellation of recognition for one hospital. The trust initiated action in 114 cases over the past six months, intensifying its scrutiny of deficiencies in medical services and suspicious billing practices.

The trust has warned hospitals against collecting fees from patients for services covered under the scheme and said strict action would follow if eligible beneficiaries were denied cashless treatment. It has been investigating patient complaints and examining medical records to identify violations.

As part of efforts to curb the misuse of public funds, the trust plans to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted scrutiny of hospital bills. Suspicious bills flagged by the system will be verified against supporting evidence before action is initiated, the Trust said.

The trust will process around 6,000 requests for prior medical authorisation daily and audit bills relating to 5,600 medical treatments each day. Prior authorisations will undergo a two-stage verification process, while bills will be subjected to four levels of scrutiny.

The trust said the strengthened verification system would accelerate scrutiny and help focus attention on clearing pending bills while preventing improper claims.

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The Hans India