"Healthcare Schemes Happening in Kansas"

For Immediate Release from the Kansas Department on Aging

Healthcare Schemes Happening in Kansas

Medicare beneficiaries will soon be reviewing their choices in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. This has been a wonderful benefit for seniors to help in their medication needs. However, this has also opened the door for new and unprecedented fraud attempts.

In Kansas most recently, the Kansas Department on Aging Senior Medicare Patrol has received reports of Medicare recipients being offered “free diabetic supplies.” The caller then tells the person all the company needs is their Medicare number to receive these “free” diabetic supplies.  The scammer is then billing Medicare for diabetic supplies from several companies and then sometimes selling the Medicare number to others who are billing Medicare for other medical services.  

Protecting your personal information is the best line of defense in the fight against healthcare fraud and abuse. 

Here are some ways to take an active role in your healthcare benefits:

·         Protect your Medicare or Medicaid number as you would your credit card or bank information. Don't give out your personal information, such as your Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security number, bank account numbers or credit card numbers to anyone you do not completely trust.

·         Medicare and Medicaid do not sell or endorse any product. If someone calls you or visits your home and tells you that he or she represents Medicare or Medicaid, they are lying and cannot be trusted. Hang up the telephone or shut the door. “It’s shrewd to be rude.”

·         Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, banks, etc. will not call you by phone to ask for your account number or personal information.  They already have your information.

·         Never accept “free” services from persons selling medical services. If anyone tries to offer you “free” services, be very suspicious. 

If you suspect Medicare, Medicaid fraud, errors, abuse or scams, contact the Kansas Department on Aging Senior Medicare Patrol hotline at 1-800-860-5260.

###

The Kansas Department on Aging’s mission is to foster an environment which; promotes security, dignity and independence, while providing the right care, at the right time, in a place called home.

"Census: 1 In 20 Kids Have A Disability"

Article from: www.disabilityscoop.com
By Michelle Diament
November 22, 2011

"About 5 percent of school-age children in the United States have a disability, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The statistic comes from a brief released this month offering an in-depth look at kids ages 5 through 17 with disabilities who live in community settings.

While the Census has long collected data on this group through its annual American Community Survey, this year marks the first time that government officials analyzed the results, said Matthew Brault, a Census statistician and the author of the report.

Brault found about 2.8 million children living with cognitive, vision, hearing, ambulatory, self-care or independent difficulties in 2010, the most recent year data is available. That represents about 5 percent of the nation’s 53.9 million school-age children.

Those with special needs were most likely to have cognitive difficulties, which were reported by more than half of kids with disabilities in every geographical area of the country.

What’s more, the Census report found that children with disabilities were more likely than their typically developing peers to attend public schools rather than private. However, the number of students with special needs enrolled in public schools varied dramatically from 76.5 percent in some areas of the country to almost 100 percent in others."

"Sedgwick County senator wants revised SRS referral policy"

"Kelsey says current system leaves 'fox...guarding the hen house'"

By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service
Nov. 17, 2011

"TOPEKA — A Sedgwick County lawmaker wants the 2012 Legislature to undo a recent state welfare agency policy that he says is undermining the state’s mental health infrastructure and keeping some seriously disturbed children from getting the psychiatric treatments they need.

“We’ve put the fox in charge of guarding the hen house,” said Sen. Dick Kelsey, a Goddard Republican, testifying earlier this week before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. “I’m really ticked about this.”

Others also say they are concerned about the policy change launched by the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services in January, soon after Gov. Sam Brownback took office.

That new policy was formalized in a contract signed in September by SRS and Kansas Health Solutions, the managed care company that is the intermediary between the welfare agency and the state’s 27 community mental health centers.

The policy, state welfare officials say, was intended to decrease the use of inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities (PRTFs).

Gone and won't come back

Between 2009 and 2011, SRS spending on PRTF services went from $36.3 million to $46.8 million, an increase of almost 30 percent. There also..."

Click here to read the full article:
http://www.khi.org/news/2011/nov/17/sedgwick-county-senator-wants-revised-srs-referral/

Kansas First News: Medicaid reform proposal

News coverage from November 8, 2011

"Brownback announces managed care for all in Medicaid"

"Agency shifts and wider reliance on contractors part of Medicaid makeover plan"

"TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback and his administration's top social service officials today unveiled their proposal for reforming the state's Medicaid program.

In a nutshell, it would expand managed care to all currently on Medicaid, including nursing home residents, the disabled and the mentally ill. It also would prompt reshuffling of departments at four state agencies. Officials said the plan would save the state $12.5 million in the coming fiscal year and a total of about $367 million over the next five years.

Administration officials said they anticipated at least three companies would get state contracts to provide Medicaid services statewide. An RFP, or a request for proposal, seeking contract bids was posted on the website of the state purchasing office. About 60 percent of Medicaid is funded by the federal government, and federal approval of changes to the state's Medicaid plan on file with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be required before the contracts can be issued.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer said administration lawyers were still working on the plan amendment that will be filed with CMS. He said he wasn't sure yet when it would be submitted for federal approval.

He said the state also will request..."

Please visit KHI News for the full story:

http://www.khi.org/news/2011/nov/08/brownback-announces-managed-care-all-medicaid/

Gov. Brownback to make Medicaid reform announcement today

Governor Brownback is expected to unveil a massive reform package for Medicaid services in Kansas today.  Among the tenants of the plan expected to be rolled out today - Managed Care and governmental reorganization of social services.

Governor Brownback will host a news conference at 10:00am at the Statehouse.

"Kansas sees drop in treatment beds for severely disturbed children"

"SRS officials will be queried on new policy at upcoming legislative hearing"

By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service
Oct. 31, 2011

"TOPEKA — Several Kansas psychiatric facilities that specialize in treating severely disturbed children are closing their doors or scaling back operations in the wake of a new state policy aimed at cutting costs and limiting reliance on inpatient care.

A year ago in Kansas, there were about 500 children living in what are called psychiatric residential treatment facilities, or PRTFs.

Then in January, officials at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services ordered a major reduction in referrals to the facilities, citing both the need to cut spending and concerns that local community mental health centers had been too quick in referring children for inpatient care.

By July, fewer than 300 children were staying at the facilities.

Early last month, St. Francis Community Services announced it would close its 34-bed facility in Ellsworth within 60 days; its 33-bed PRTF in Salina will remain open.

“We had two campuses 30 miles apart from each other – both of them half-full,” said Cheryl Rathbun, vice president of clinical services at St. Francis. “It just didn’t make business sense to keep both of them open.”

United Methodist Youthville soon followed suit, announcing last week that it would close its 56-bed PRTF in Newton by the end of November. Its 44-bed facility in Dodge City will remain open.

“There’s been a significant reduction in referrals,” said Youthville Executive Director Shelley Duncan. “For a while I thought this might pass..."

Read more at KHI News: 

http://www.khi.org/news/2011/oct/31/kansas-sees-drop-treatment-beds-severely-disturbed/

The KHI News Service is an editorially-independent program of the Kansas Health Institute and is committed to timely, objective and in-depth coverage of health issues and the policy making environment.