Michigan Will Not Discuss Health Care Fraud In Public

This is such an honor.  Michigan has denied me participation in the integrated care for Medicaid and Medicare eligibility model.

See, when I attended the first state integrated care stakeholder group, of course, I had to stand up and speak out when it was asked if there was any area left out of the discussion on Medicaid and Medicare.

Does anyone wish to take a guess on what I identified as being omitted from the discussion?  Ok, I will give you a hint....Fraud, waste and abuse.

Aghast did I leave the state facilitators.

Then, at the end, I approached them to ask why they did not address the Medicaid and Medicare fraud in Michigan when HHS OIG and DOJ had to partner up and journey up here to try and stop the rampant health care fraud that the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit does nothing about.

I was rushed to the side, with whispers in my ear did they tell me that "fraud" was something they intentionally did not discuss in public.

Assholes.

Integrating Care for People Eligible for Both Medicare and Medicaid Dear Ms. Tran, Thank you for your interest in Michigan Department of Community Health's Integrated Care planning process. We received a very high response to our call for stakeholders to participate in the work group process. Nearly 500 people indicated their interest in work group participation while each of the four work groups was slated to have no more than 35 members. This required us to make some difficult choices as we strived to ensure diverse representation on each of the groups. While you were not selected to participate as a work group member, we encourage you to visit  https://janus.pscinc.com/dualeligibles to review work group meeting agendas and summaries as they become available. Meeting schedules will also be posted to the site. Work group meetings, including the meeting of all members scheduled for November 9, are open to observation by non-work group members, although space is limited. The all-member meeting will be held on November 9 from 1:00 to 3:30 PM at the Causeway Bay Lansing (6820 South Cedar Street, Lansing, MI  48911). If you are planning to attend the November 9 meeting as an observer, please use the following link to register. Please register by 5:00 this Friday, November 4. Register Now! I can't make it If you would like to listen in to the meeting by phone, you may use the following call-in information. Phone number: (877) 668-4490 Access code: 20005550# This call-in information will remain in effect for all future work group meetings. Please be aware that phone participation is limited to 500 people. Thank you again for your interest. You are always welcome to submit comments regarding the integrated care model to integratedcare@michigan.gov. Work group meeting materials, including agendas, summaries, and background materials will be made available at https://janus.pscinc.com/dualeligibles as they become available. Sincerely, Stephen Fitton, Director Medical Services Administration Michigan Department of Community Health

HHS awards $16.8 million to train public health workforce

This is a very important announcement in for the industry of child welfare.  Not only is there a new vision in how the nation protects children, there are plans to reinvest in the best interests of children.

Child Protective Service Agencies along with the Child Placing Agencies have no choice but to prepare for the adoption of transparency and accountability.

The days of Medicaid fraud in child welfare will end, whether you like it or not. 

HHS awards $16.8 million to train public health workforce
Grants awarded to 27 Public Health Training Centers

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $16.8 million to support 27 Public Health Training Centers (PHTC) at schools of public health and other public or non-profit institutions across the country. The PHTC Program helps improve the public health system by enhancing skills of the current and future public health workforce. Institutions accredited to provide graduate or specialized training in public health are eligible for funding. Most of the funding – $15.4 million – is made available by the Prevention and Public Health Fund included as part of the Affordable Care Act.

“Today’s awards represent a dramatic increase in support for Public Health Training Centers,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Investing in prevention and public health is the foundation for improving the health and well-being of all Americans.”

Funded organizations (1) plan, develop, operate and evaluate projects that support goals established by the Secretary in preventive medicine, health promotion and disease prevention; or (2) improve access to and quality of health services in medically underserved communities. Other PHTC activities include assessing the learning needs of the public health workforce; providing accessible training; and working with organizations to meet strategic planning, education, and resource needs.

“Whether facing public health emergencies such as natural disasters, or chronic conditions like obesity, a well-trained public health workforce is critical to ensuring the nation’s health and welfare,” said Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., administrator of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the PHTC program.

Awards are listed below. For more information on HRSA’s health professions programs, visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/.

Public Health Training Center Awards

Arizona Board of Regents, Tucson, Arizona $647,637.00

The Regents of the University of California, Berkeley, California $649,819.00

Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California  $650,000.00

San Diego State University Research Foundation, San Diego, California $647,875.00

University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado  $649,497.00

University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida  $650,000.00

The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia  $630,032.00

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia  $650,000.00

Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana  $129,267.00

University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Kentucky $647,307.00

Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana  $650,000.00

Trustees of Boston University, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, Massachusetts  $649,977.00

The Regents of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan  $650,000.00

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina  $643,004.00

Trustees of Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire  $618,734.00

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New York - School of Public Health, New Brunswick, New Jersey $647,654.00

The Research Foundation of the State University of New York, Albany, New York  $649,921.00

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio $650,000.00

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  $649,750.00

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, $649,994.00

University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico $650,000.00

University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina  $650,000.00

East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee $650,000.00

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas $649,801.00

Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia $488,360.00

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington $650,000.00

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, Madison, Wisconsin $628,480.00

TOTAL:  $16,777,109.00

The Health Resources and Services Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA is the primary Federal agency responsible for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.

Be Very Medicaid Fraudulently Quiet

In an editorial posted October 22, 2009, the Michigan Department of Community Health Director, Janet Olszweski, drastically failed to identify numerous key issues, outside of “efforts to leverage federal funding” as to why the state is challenged in meeting the needs of the people.

Ms. Olszweski has failed to identify herself as the State Medicaid Director. The role of the State Medicaid Director is to establish policy under the guidance and clarification from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Unfortunately, she has neglected to address Medicaid policy in dealing with fraud, waste and abuse.

Senator Kahn recently introduced SB 942 calling for the creation of a State Medicaid Inspector General to open discussions surrounding Auditor General reports documenting evidence of over $1 billion in Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse.

As it stands, the state is in a position of a future decrease in the Federal Funding Percentage, meaning it will loose even more federal dollars. The program’s funding levels have remained stagnant since 2000 because the state is not in compliance with federal funding mandates.

Olszewski may place the state in a precarious position if she were to raise the issue of Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse because the Michigan Medicaid Fraud Unit, housed in the Department of Attorney General and funded DHHS, does absolutely no activities in prosecution and recovery of Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse in child welfare, as it would be an inherent conflict of interest: the Attorney General cannot prosecute itself.

In essence, if the State Medicaid Director even whispered one word regarding the issue of Medicaid fraud, Michigan would be faced with even more substantial cuts in federal funding or possible federal receivership.

There is funding for program services and the opportunity for even more and efficient servicing will only come once the state takes a mea culpa stance for dropping the ball on accountability and transparency, because it never refers violations of federal and state law in Medicaid funded programs to the Attorney General.

Until the state implements policy for contractual debarment, revocation, sanctions and prosecution for recovery of funds in dealing with Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse, the only recourse for the existence of Medicaid funded programming will be through begging and taxing, at the expense of our most vulnerable populations.