Audit of Illinois Medicaid Payments for Skilled Professional Medical Personnel for the Period October

17 pages

English

Audit of Illinois' Medicaid Payments for Skilled Professional Medical Personnel for the Period October

Faut - Hhs Office Of Inspector General

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17 pages

English

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Department of Health and Human ServicesOFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT OF ILLINOIS’ MEDICAID PAYMENTS FOR SKILLED PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PERSONNEL FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1, 2003 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2004 Daniel R. LevinsonInspector General June 2006 A-05-05-00051 Office of Inspector General http://oig.hhs.gov The mission of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), as mandated by Public Law 95-452, as amended, is to protect the integrity of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs, as well as the health and welfare of beneficiaries served by those programs. This statutory mission is carried out through a nationwide network of audits, investigations, and inspections conducted by the following operating components: Office of Audit Services The Office of Audit Services (OAS) provides all auditing services for HHS, either by conducting audits with its own audit resources or by overseeing audit work done by others. Audits examine the performance of HHS programs and/or its grantees and contractors in carrying out their respective responsibilities and are intended to provide independent assessments of HHS programs and operations. These assessments help reduce waste, abuse, and mismanagement and promote economy and efficiency throughout HHS. Office of Evaluation and Inspections The Office of Evaluation and Inspections (OEI) conducts national evaluations to provide HHS, Congress, and the public with timely, useful, and ...

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Publié par	Faut
Nombre de lectures	12
Langue	English

Extrait

Department of Health and Human Services OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

A UDIT OF I LLINOIS ’ M EDICAID P AYMENTS FOR S KILLED P ROFESSIONAL M EDICAL P ERSONNEL FOR THE P ERIOD O CTOBER 1, 2003 T HROUGH S EPTEMBER 30, 2004

Daniel R. Levinson Inspector General

June 2006 A-05-05-00051

Office of I nspector G eneral http://oig.hhs.gov

The mission of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), as mandated by Public Law 95-452, as amended, is to protect the integrity of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs, as well as the health and welfare of beneficiaries served by those programs. This statutory mission is carried out through a nationwide network of audits, investigations, and inspections conducted by the following operating components: Office of Audit Services The Office of Audit Services (OAS) provides all auditing services for HHS, either by conducting audits with its own audit resources or by overseeing audit work done by others. Audits examine the performance of HHS programs and/or its grantees and contractors in carrying out their respective responsibilities and are intended to provide independent assessments of HHS programs and operations. These assessments help reduce waste, abuse, and mismanagement and promote economy and efficiency throughout HHS. Office of Evaluation and Inspections The Office of Evaluation and Inspections (OEI) conducts national evaluations to provide HHS, Congress, and the public with timely, useful, and reliable information on significant issues. Specifically, these evaluations focus on preventing fraud, waste, or abuse and promoting economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in departmental programs. To promote impact, the reports also present practical recommendations for improving program operations. Office of Investigations The Office of Investigations (OI) conducts criminal, civil, and administrative investigations of allegations of wrongdoing in HHS programs or to HHS beneficiaries and of unjust enrichment by providers. The investigative efforts of OI lead to criminal convictions, administrative sanctions, or civil monetary penalties. Office of Counsel to the Inspector General The Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG) provides general legal services to OIG, rendering advice and opinions on HHS programs and operations and providing all legal support in OIG’s internal operations. OCIG imposes program exclusions and civil monetary penalties on health care providers and litigates those actions within HHS. OCIG also represents OIG in the global settlement of cases arising under the Civil False Claims Act, develops and monitors corporate integrity agreements, develops compliance program guidances, renders advisory opinions on OIG sanctions to the health care community, and issues fraud alerts and other industry guidance.

Notices

THIS REPORT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC at http://oig.hhs.gov

In accordance with the principles of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended by Public Law 104-2c3e1 )o,f IOnfsfipector General, Office of Audit Services reports are made atvoa ilmaeblme bers of the public to the extent the information is not subject to exemptions( iSne teh 4e 5a cCtF. R Part 5.)

OAS FINDINGS AND OPINIONS

The designation of financial or mea n ta gpreamctices as questionable or a recommendation for the disallowance of costs incurred or claimed, as well as other conclusions and recommend atthiiosn rse ipnort, represent the findings and opinions of the HHS/OIG/OAAutSh. orized officials of the HHS divisions will make final determination on these matters.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND Title XIX of the Social Security Act provides Federal reimbursement to States for administrative costs necessary to properly and efficiently administer State Medicaid plans. In Illinois, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (State agency) administers the State’s Medicaid program by incurring administrative costs at the state level. The State agency also claims administrative costs incurred by school based programs. These administrative costs are reimbursed, or matched, by the Federal Government at a rate of 50 percent. However, an enhanced Medicaid matching rate of 75 percent is available for the compensation and training of skilled professional medical personnel and their supporting staff. For the enhanced rate to be available, skilled professional medical personnel must complete a 2-year program leading to an academic degree or certificate in a medically related program, perform activities that require the use of their professional training and experience, and have a documented employer-employee relationship with the Medicaid agency. Although enhanced reimbursement was previously available for skilled professional medical personnel working for school based programs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the Medicaid program at the Federal level, no longer accepts claims for school based administrative costs at the enhanced rate. We reviewed the State agency’s claim for skilled professional medical personnel totaling $15,920,111 for the period October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004 (line 3 of the CMS-64.10 form). These administrative costs consisted of $6,459,292 incurred at the State agency level and $9,460,819 for school based costs. We limited our review to determining whether the State agency’s claims for skilled professional medical personnel qualified for the 75-percent enhanced rate. We did not determine the allowability of costs claimed at the 50-percent rate. In Illinois, the State agency employed skilled professional medical personnel and contracted with outside individuals and companies through its Office of Inspector General to provide additional skilled professional medical personnel. The State agency also claimed enhanced reimbursement for skilled professional medical staff employed by school based programs. OBJECTIVE The audit objective was to determine whether the State agency properly claimed Medicaid funding at the 75 percent enhanced Federal funding rate for skilled professional medical personnel. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The State agency improperly claimed enhanced reimbursement for skilled professional medical personnel costs totaling $250,592 ($62,648 Federal share) for wage and travel expenses for 56 contractors that were not State agency employees. In addition, the State agency improperly classified and claimed $9,460,819 ($2,365,205 Federal share) in school based administrative i

costs as skilled professional medical personnel. Although CMS disallowed enhanced reimbursement for these claims, the State agency did not reclassify and reduce its claim for skilled professional medical personnel. We attribute the unallowable State agency administrative claims to a lack of sufficient monitoring necessary to ensure that only qualified individuals were claimed as skilled professional medical personnel. The improperly classified and claimed school based administrative costs resulted from the State’s failure to follow CMS’s guidance, effective January 1, 2003, that prohibited States from claiming school based administrative costs as skilled professional medical personnel costs. RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend that the State agency:

• refund the enhanced Federal share of $62,648 claimed for non-State agency employees that were ineligible for enhanced reimbursement as skilled professional medical personnel;

• develop and implement procedures to ensure only qualifying individuals are claimed as skilled professional medical personnel; and • reclassify the $9,460,819 in school based administrative costs inappropriately claimed for enhanced reimbursement as skilled professional medical personnel and appropriately charge those costs as other Medicaid administrative costs.

In a written response dated May 26, 2006, Illinois officials agreed to refund $62,648 and develop and implement procedures to ensure only qualifying individuals are claimed as skilled professional medical personnel. The State did not agree with our recommendation to reclassify the $9,460,819 in school based administrative costs. The State believes that school based administrative costs for skilled professional medical personnel are eligible for enhanced reimbursement despite the fact that CMS explicitly stated that these costs are not eligible for enhanced reimbursement per the CMS State Medicaid Director Letter #02-018. The response is summarized in the body of the report and is included in its entirety as an Appendix to the report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1

BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................1

OBJECTIVE, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY ............................................... 1 Objective ..........................................................................................................1 Scope................................................................................................................1 Methodology ....................................................................................................2

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................... 2

REQUIREMENTS FOR SKILLED PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PERSONNEL .................................................................................3

NOT STATE AGENCY EMPLOYEES...............................................................4 Causes of Unallowable Claims for Enhanced Reimbursement .......................5

IMPROPERLY CLASSIFIED AND CLAIMED COSTS ...................................5

RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................5

STATE AGENCY COMMENTS AND OIG RESPONSE ..................................5

APPENDIX

State Agency Comments

iii

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND Title XIX of the Social Security Act provides Federal reimbursement to States for administrative costs necessary to properly and efficiently administer State Medicaid plans. In Illinois, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (State agency) administers the State’s Medicaid program by incurring administrative costs at the state level. These administrative costs are reimbursed, or matched, by the Federal Government at a rate of 50 percent. However, an enhanced Medicaid matching rate of 75 percent is available for the compensation and training of skilled professional medical personnel and their supporting staff. For the enhanced rate to be available, skilled professional medical personnel must complete a 2-year program leading to an academic degree or certificate in a medically related program, perform activities that require the use of their professional training and experience, and have a documented employer-employee relationship with the Medicaid agency. Although enhanced reimbursement was previously available for skilled professional medical personnel working for school based programs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the Medicaid program at the Federal level, no longer accepts claims for school based administrative costs at the enhanced rate. In Illinois, the State agency employed skilled professional medical personnel and contracted with outside individuals and companies through its Office of Inspector General to provide additional skilled professional medical personnel. The State agency also claimed enhanced reimbursement for skilled professional medical staff employed by school based programs. OBJECTIVE, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY Objective The audit objective was to determine whether the State agency properly claimed Medicaid funding at the 75 percent enhanced Federal funding rate for skilled professional medical personnel. Scope We reviewed the State agency’s claim for skilled professional medical personnel totaling $15,920,111 for the period October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004 (line 3 of the CMS-64.10 form). These administrative costs consisted of $6,459,292 incurred at the State agency level and $9,460,819 for school based costs. We limited our review to determining whether the State agency’s claims for skilled professional medical personnel qualified for the 75-percent enhanced rate. We did not determine the allowability of costs claimed at the 50-percent rate.

We did not perform a detailed review of the State agency’s internal controls. We limited our review to obtaining an understanding of the State agency’s policies and procedures used to claim skilled professional medical personnel costs. We performed fieldwork at the State agency in Springfield, Illinois from July through August 2005. Methodology To accomplish the audit objective, we:

• reviewed applicable Federal regulations and CMS guidance;

• reviewed State agency procedures for claiming skilled professional medical personnel costs;

• obtained and reviewed supporting documentation from the State agency including cost accounting reports, payroll records, invoices and disbursement documents relating to payments made to contractors;

• reconciled supporting documentation to the expenditures reported on line 3 of the CMS 64.10;

• reviewed medical licensure and certification information to ensure the employees claimed as skilled professional medical personnel met Federal requirements;

• reviewed position descriptions and/or contracts for individuals claimed as skilled professional medical personnel and directly supporting staff; and

• interviewed skilled professional medical personnel and directly supporting staff. We performed the audit in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The State agency improperly claimed enhanced reimbursement for skilled professional medical personnel costs totaling $250,592 ($62,648 Federal share) for wage and travel expenses for 56 contractors that were not State agency employees. In addition, the State agency improperly classified and claimed $9,460,819 ($2,365,205 Federal share) in school based administrative costs as skilled professional medical personnel. Although CMS disallowed enhanced reimbursement for these claims, the State agency did not reclassify and reduce its claim for skilled professional medical personnel. We attribute the unallowable State agency administrative claims to a lack of sufficient monitoring necessary to ensure that only qualified individuals were claimed as skilled 2

professional medical personnel. The improperly classified and claimed school based administrative costs resulted from the State’s failure to follow CMS’s guidance, effective January 1, 2003, that prohibited States from claiming school based administrative costs as skilled professional medical personnel costs. REQUIREMENTS FOR SKILLED PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PERSONNEL Section 1903(a)(2) of the Social Security Act provides that States are entitled to an amount equal to 75 percent of sums expended for compensation or training of skilled professional medical personnel and staff supporting such personnel. Skilled professional medical personnel are defined in 42 CFR § 432.2 as: . . . physicians, dentists, nurses, and other specialized personnel who have professional education and training in the field of medical care or appropriate medical practice and who are in an employer-employee relationship with the Medicaid agency. It does not include other nonmedical health professionals such as public administrators, medical analysts, lobbyists, senior managers or administrators of public assistance programs or the Medicaid program. Regulations at (42 CFR § 432.50(a)) state that Federal matching funds are available “for salary or other compensation, fringe benefits, travel, per diem, and training, at rates determined on the basis of the individual’s position . . . . In addition, 42 CFR § 432.50(d) states that the enhanced matching rate of 75 percent is available for skilled professional medical personnel and directly supporting staff if the following criteria are met: (i) The expenditures are for activities that are directly related to the administration of the Medicaid program, and as such do not include expenditures for medical assistance; (ii) The skilled professional medical personnel have professional education and training in the field of medical care or appropriate medical practice. “Professional education and training means the completion of a 2-year or longer program leading to an academic degree or certificate in a medically related profession. This is demonstrated by possession of a medical license, certificate, or other document issued by a recognized National or State medical licensure or certifying organization or a degree in a medical field issued by a college or university certified by a professional medical organization . . . ; (iii) The skilled professional medical personnel are in positions that have duties and responsibilities that require those professional medical knowledge and skills;