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Medicare awards grants to more than 50 Senior Medicare Patrol programs
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced the award of $9 million in grants to help more than 50 Senior Medicare Patrol programs fight Medicare fraud.
The grants are a part of President Obama’s mandate to educate seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries on the prevention of Medicare fraud.
“The $9 million will enable [Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)] projects to expand their capacity to reach a greater number of Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers with the message of health care fraud prevention,” Moya Thompson, the Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Administration on Aging, told Orthopedics Today.
Thompson added that each SMP project will determine how the additional funding will best support its education efforts.
“Media campaigns to increase public awareness of health care fraud, additional recruitment of senior volunteers, personnel to assist in volunteer management and training, and new informational outreach materials are among the potential uses for the new [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)] grant money by the SMP projects,” she said.
Senior Medicare Patrol funding
Announcements regarding the doubling of funding for Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) activities were made earlier this year. The grants will reportedly provide additional funds to increase awareness of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries of health care fraud prevention, identification and reporting through expansion of SMP program capacity.
States identified with high-fraud areas will see increased funding levels, and this additional funding will support targeted strategies for collaboration, media outreach and referrals.
The Administration on Aging will administer these grants in a partnership with CMS.
Senior response
“Seniors have responded enthusiastically to the education program,” Thompson said. “Seniors who feel empowered with information about their Medicare – what to look for on their Medicare Summary Notices, how to spot potential fraud, and how to protect themselves and their personal information – are the best consumers of health care. Many become proactive and seek to share this information with their families, friends and neighbors by becoming SMP volunteers.”
“Most are grateful and proud to make a difference in the future of the Medicare program by preventing, identifying and reporting health care fraud that could potentially cost taxpayers billions of dollars,” she added.
What the SMP does
SMP volunteers work to help educate Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, family members and caregivers about the importance of reviewing Medicare notices to identify billing errors and potentially fraudulent activity. Seniors are encouraged by the SMP program to make inquiries when these issues are identified.
The SMP reports that nearly 3 million Medicare beneficiaries have been educated since the start of the program, with more than 1 million individual counseling sessions taking place with seniors or their caregivers.
In 2009, more than 3,000 beneficiary complaints involving potential fraud were handled by the SMP. The program funds projects in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. – by Robert Press
References:
- Moya Thompson can be reached at moya.thompson@aoa.hhs.gov.
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