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Press Releases
September 20, 1999
Contact: Moya Benoit Thompson 202-401-4541
AoA’s Medicare Fraud Program to be Honored
The Administration on Aging (AoA) in the Department of Health and Human Services, (HHS) together with Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) will honor the outstanding contributions of 12 senior volunteers who serve as community educators and resources in the nation’s fight against Medicare and Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse. HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala will make opening remarks.
These volunteers represent AoA’s 12 original Health Care Anti-Fraud, Waste and Abuse Community Volunteers Demonstration Projects, which were created under report language authored by Sen. Harkin in 1997. Over the past 18 months AoA’s demonstration projects, now named the Senior Patrol Project grants, have trained more than 3,700 retired professionals such as doctors, nurses, accountants, law enforcement personnel, investigators, teachers, attorneys and others to work with Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. These community volunteers help identify deceptive health care practices, such as overbilling, overcharging, or providing unnecessary or inappropriate services.
In 1997 alone the Administration’s programs saved more than $7.5 billion, and, combined with the efforts of our HHS partners in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration) and the Office of the Inspector General, returned another $1 billion to the Medicare Trust Fund. On June 17 AoA renewed its 12 original grants and awarded 29 new grants in 36 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
This awards ceremony is part of AoA’s National Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Conference which will bring together more than 250 professionals from across the country who are involved in the national initiative to combat and prevent Medicare and Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse. Conference sessions and workshops will cover such topics as national trends in the fraud and abuse arena, strategies for outreach to isolated and non-English-speaking beneficiaries, working with the provider community, tracking performance outcomes, and the identification of fraud, waste and abuse in the managed care setting.
When: Monday September 27, 1999; 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Where: Room 325 Russell Senate Office Building; Washington, D.C.
Senior volunteers being recognized, and the programs they represent include:
- Ruth-e Bennison, from the California Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program Association, San Mateo, CA
- Barbara Coyle and Leila Ward, from the Suburban Area Agency on Aging, Oak Park, IL
- Reba Weber, from the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs, Des Moines, IA
- Albert Payne, from the Maryland Department of Aging, Baltimore, MD
- Virginia Peterson, from the Minnesota Board on Aging, St Paul, MN
- Robert Warns, from the District III Area Agency on Aging, Warrensburg, MO
- Katherine DeCarpis, from the New Hampshire Division of Elderly and Adult Services, Concord, NH
- Dr. Irwin Golden, from the New York State Office for the Aging, Albany, NY
- Daniel Robinson, III, from the Coalition of Advocates for the Rights of the Infirm Elderly, Philadelphia, PA
- Cathy Davis, from the Aging 2000 Inc, Providence, RI
- Marvin Buchholz, from the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, Madison, WI
Following is a list of the other Senior Medicare Patrol Project Grants:
- Alabama Commission on Aging - Montgomery, AL
- Alaska State Division of Senior Services - Anchorage, AK.
- Arizona Department of Economic Security - Phoenix, AZ
- Arkansas Seniors Organized - Little Rock, AR.
- Colorado Division of Insurance - Denver, CO
- Connecticut Department of Social Services - Hartford, CT
- Delaware Department of Health and Social Services - New Castle, DE
- The AARP Foundation - Washington, DC
- Friendship House - Washington, DC
- Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council - St. Petersburg, FL
- Georgia Department of Human Resources - Atlanta, GA
- Atlanta Regional Commission - Atlanta, GA
- Hawaii Executive Office on Aging, Honolulu, HI
- Idaho Commission on Aging - Boise, ID
- Indiana Division of Disability, Aging, and Rehabilitation Services - Indianapolis, IN
- Maine Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Elder and Adult Services - Augusta, ME
- Elder Services of Merrimack - Lawrence, MA
- Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan - Lansing, MI
- Missoula Aging Services - Missoula, MT
- Nevada Division of Aging Services - Las Vegas, NV
- New Mexico State Agency on Aging - Santa Fe, NM
- Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging - Cleveland OH
- State of Oklahoma Insurance Department - Oklahoma City, OK
- Senior and Disabled Services Division - Salem, OR
- Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs - San Juan, PR
- Baylor University - Waco, TX
- The National Hispanic Council on Aging - Corpus Christi, TX
- Utah Legal Services - Salt Lake City, UT
- Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging - Richmond, VA
- Office of the Insurance Counselor - Olympia, WA
Additional information about AoA’s Anti-Fraud and Abuse Activities is available on the AoA web site at: http://www.aoa.gov/ort/ or by contacting Brian Lutz (email: brian.lutz@aoa.gov).
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