Audits and reports issued by New York State December 21, 2018
Source: Office of the State Comptroller
Click on text highlighted in color to access the full report
Department of Health: Medicaid Overpayments for Medicare Part B Services Billed Directly to eMedNY (2017-S-36)
Auditors identified up to $8.7 million in improper payments for costs related to Medicare Part B deductibles and coinsurance between 2012 and 2017. Auditors found that Medicaid made: questionable payments totaling $5.3 million to providers who claimed excessive Part B coinsurance amounts; overpayments totaling $2.3 million to providers for the Part B coinsurance on services Medicaid did not cover; and overpayments totaling $1.1 million to providers for Part B deductibles that exceeded yearly limits.
Department of Health: Medicaid Overpayments for Medicare Advantage Plan Services (2017-S-46)
During the audit period, 2013 through 2017, Medicaid was the primary payer on 92,296 claims totaling almost $12.8 million for services typically covered by a recipient’s plan. Auditors sampled 266 such claims (totaling $220,661 in Medicaid payments) to determine the appropriateness of the payments. Auditors found that for 187 claims the provider either never billed the plan for the services, incorrectly indicated a plan payment of zero on its Medicaid claim or did not follow the plan’s billing guidelines. Medicaid paid $183,019 on these claims, while its actual obligation amounted to only $5,484. During the audit, certain providers acknowledged receiving overpayments and repaid Medicaid $25,300, leaving $152,235 to be recovered.
Department of Health: Improper Medicaid Payments for Recipients in Hospice Care (2017-S-76)
Auditors identified about $8 million in inappropriate Medicaid payments for services provided to hospice recipients, including: $2.9 million for services that were not allowed in combination with the daily hospice rate; $2.4 million for drugs, durable medical equipment, home care, and other services that are covered under the daily hospice rate; $2.6 million for services that should have been covered by Medicare or a Medicaid managed care organization; and $107,141 for hospice services while the patient was in the hospital.
Department of Labor (DOL): Protection of Child Performers (Follow-Up) (2018-F-24)
An initial audit found DOL had not created a sound and effective system of internal controls for the Child Performers Unit and did not have the necessary controls to monitor and enforce compliance with regulations designed to protect child performers’ earnings. Auditors also found that DOL’s electronic permit application system had significant data entry, maintenance, and functionality deficiencies that limited its effectiveness and reliability as a monitoring tool. In a follow-up, auditors found DOL officials have not made progress in addressing the issues identified in the initial report.
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): Registration and Enforcement of Automotive Service, Sales, and Salvage Facilities (Follow-Up) (2018-F-25)
State law outlines DMV’s responsibilities for administering the registration and licensing for certain types of automotive businesses, including registration of repair shops, dealers, dismantlers, and junk and salvage facilities and licensing of inspection stations. Where facilities are found to be in violation of laws, rules, or regulations, DMV must take necessary actions against them, which may include issuing penalties, suspending or revoking registrations/licenses to operate, or referring the operator or facility for criminal prosecution. An audit issued in August 2017 identified many locations where businesses could potentially be operating without a license. Auditors also identified delays in DMV’s process for handling consumer complaints. In a follow-up, auditors found DMV officials have made significant progress in correcting the problems identified in the initial report.
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