State audits identified $17.6 million in improper MassHealth payments in a year
Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump's office identified $17.6 million in questionable or potentially fraudulent MassHealth payments between March 2016 and March 2017, according to an annual report released Wednesday.
"The MassHealth program is large, complex, and expensive," Bump said in a statement. "It is also too susceptible to improper payments to providers.... There are far too many provider bills that get paid despite the fact they are duplicative of other payments, lack supporting documentation, or violate regulations governing what is and what is not reimbursable."
Many of the findings laid out in the annual report have been made public in previous audits. The annual report offers a snapshot of a year's worth of 11 audits of MassHealth.
Some of the issues Bump's office identified include payments to providers who were prohibited from participating in MassHealth due to federal laws; duplicate payments to individuals who were getting paid by two different state programs; and payments to specific dental providers who provided services in a way that was not consistent with MassHealth regulations.
Read more: http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/03/state_audits_identified_176_mi.html