Government
Ohio attorney general launches Web site for Medicaid fraud reporting
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 19, 2005
Ohio residents have a new Web site they can visit to report Medicaid fraud, patient abuse and patient neglect.
The site (link), launched in August, adds another reporting option for citizens, who previously could call an abuse hotline, write letters or send e-mail to Attorney General Jim Petro's office.
While the Ohio State Medical Assn. has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who would knowingly commit Medicaid fraud, a Web site allowing patients easily to file a complaint could result in false accusations, said Tim Maglione, the association's government relations director.
Patients may believe a physician is committing fraud when, actually, the doctor is simply dealing with the billing system's complexities, Maglione said.
"We need to strike the appropriate balance between those who may be intentionally committing fraud versus those who have a difference of opinion on how to code something," he said.
Maglione said OSMA would monitor the development to ensure physicians are not being unduly burdened by false accusations.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/09/19/gvbf0919.htm.
