State health plan administrators BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cigna allegedly overpaid providers at least $17.58 million, according to a claims data analysis by private firm ClaimInformatics, the Times Free Press reports.
ClaimInformatics analyzed the state's claim data and found the plan administrators made the overpayments over a three-year period. The company said the payments are "ready for recovery."
ClaimInformatics only analyzed payments to physicians. It did not examine hospital or surgery center data, which represents more than 50 percent of payment volume.
Tennessee Finance Commissioner Butch Eley said the report was "helpful," but that more analysis was needed to understand the scope of the erroneous payments.