government

Medicaid fraud in Florida highest for home health services

Fraud recoveries equaled about 2% of the state's Medicaid budget in fiscal year 2009.

By — Posted Jan. 27, 2010

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Florida recovered hundreds of millions in fraudulent Medicaid payments, but that was probably still only a fraction of the total, according to an annual report released Jan. 7 by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

Florida recovered $287 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims in fiscal year 2009, which ended July 1. That figure represents slightly less than 2% of the Medicaid program's $15.7 billion budget for the year. However, Medicaid fraud likely accounts for 5% to 20% of the state's Medicaid budget, or $785 million to $3.2 billion, according to a February 2009 analysis by the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability.

Home-based and community-based health services and pharmaceutical manufacturers were the most frequent entities involved in fraud cases, the same as in the previous fiscal year, the report found. Physicians were third on the list in fiscal 2009, after not appearing in the top five the previous year.

Florida Medical Assn. spokeswoman Erin VanSickle said Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and AHCA Secretary Thomas W. Arnold take fraud seriously, but that there is always room for improvement. "We are confident that they will continue to aggressively seek out and find ways to more effectively prevent and prosecute those who take advantage of the system," VanSickle said.

Florida has the nation's fourth-largest Medicaid program, with an enrollment of about 2.6 million people, according to AHCA.

The report is available online (link).

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn