GAO Reports Fraudulent Medicaid Claims in 2011

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that Medicaid payed millions of dollars for claims filed in the names of deceased beneficiaries. The report has released information from the latest analysis on claims data for the year 2011 from 4 states: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and New Jersey, which accounted for 13% of Medicaid payments that year.

The report found:

• About 200 deceased beneficiaries received about $9.6 million in Medicaid benefits subsequent to the beneficiary's death.
• About 50 providers who were excluded from federal healthcare programs, including Medicaid, for a variety of reasons that include patient abuse or neglect, fraud, theft, bribery, or tax evasion.

Subsequent to this report, GAO recommends that CMS issue guidance for screening deceased beneficiaries and supply more exhaustive data to better screen Medicaid providers.

Read the complete report: http://1.usa.gov/1PT765K