Weekly Message from Attorney General Bill McCollum

This week, I visited Florida's panhandle to continue the rollout of a health care fraud education initiative. My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is actively working with Florida's senior population as well as our state's medical professionals to share abuse and fraud identification strategies and prevention information. The initiative was developed to foster a spirit of cooperation and raise awareness of how to report and avoid fraud and abuse. We know that education is one of the keys to diminishing fraud, whether it is intentional or unintentional. We also know that informed senior citizens are better protected from those who may try to take advantage of them.

Medicaid fraud is a growing problem in the State of Florida. Prescription drugs are diverted away from patients and onto the black market. Unlicensed facilities bill for expensive medical treatments and devices that are never provided to anyone. This and much more occurs regularly, resulting in thousands and thousands of dollars of fraud at the taxpayers' expense. Recent reports show as much as $2 billion a year may be lost in Florida's $16 billion Medicaid program to fraud and abuse.

Last year, my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated 1,013 complaints and returned approximately $70 million in defrauded funds to the state. The unit is responsible for investigating criminal allegations of Medicaid fraud, arresting the perpetrators, and prosecuting some of the cases along with the State Attorneys. It's a responsibility my analysts, investigators and attorneys take very seriously and live up to every day.

We also know, through national statistics, that nearly half of Medicaid's recipients are children and almost a third are elderly or disabled. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit also reviews more than 13,000 complaints annually of patient abuse, neglect and exploitation (PANE), and this year has opened more than 40 PANE cases and made numerous arrests. These vulnerable citizens are often abused or exploited by their caretakers, or worse, members of their own family. It is our job to protect them and rescue them from these situations.

Anyone who wishes to report suspected health care fraud or patient abuse, neglect or exploitation can contact my Fraud Hotline toll-free at 1-866-966-7226 or can file a complaint online at: http://myfloridalegal.com. Together, we'll keep working to protect our citizens as well as our taxpayer-funded benefit programs which should be reserved for those who need assistance most.