Source: Fox News
Summary
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz has sent letters to all 50 governors, directing them to take immediate action to identify and remove noncompliant Medicaid providers. Oz has given governors 10 business days to commit to conducting a swift “revalidation” of high-risk Medicaid providers and provide a proposed timetable. States must also submit a broader two-year strategy outlining how they will review healthcare providers for legitimacy and compliance. The letters target providers at “high risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption,” particularly those with “less rigorous enrollment and billing requirements.”
Our Reading
As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
Dr. Mehmet Oz is putting state leaders on notice to root out rampant fraud. He is directing them to take immediate action within days to identify and remove noncompliant Medicaid providers. The letters target providers at “high risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption.” States must submit a proposed timetable and a broader two-year strategy outlining how they will review healthcare providers for legitimacy and compliance. The push comes amid heightened focus on large-scale fraud cases, including Minnesota’s $250 million “Feeding Our Future” scheme. The sequence of events is familiar: a high-profile scandal, a call for reform, and a promise to crack down on fraud.
Author: Evan Null
