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Molina Healthcare of Mississippi seeks to uphold the highest ethical standards for the provision of health care benefits and services to its members, and supports the efforts of federal and state authorities in their enforcement of prohibitions of fraudulent practices by providers or other entities dealing with the provision of health care services.
Definitions:
“Abuse” means provider practices that are inconsistent with sound fiscal, business, or medical practices, and result in unnecessary cost to the Medicaid program or in reimbursement for services that are not medically necessary or that fail to meet professionally recognized standards for health care. It also includes recipient practices that result in unnecessary cost to the Marketplace program. (42 CFR §455.2) "Fraud" means an intentional deception or misrepresentation made by a person with the knowledge that the deception could result in some unauthorized benefit to himself or some other person. It includes any act that constitutes fraud under applicable Federal or State law. (42 CFR § 455.2).
Federal False Claims Act, 31 USC Section 3279
The False Claims Act is a federal statute that covers fraud involving any federally funded contract or program, including the Medicaid programs. The act establishes liability for any person who knowingly presents or causes to be presented a false or fraudulent claim to the U.S. government for payment.
The term "knowing" is defined to mean that a person with respect to information:
The act does not require proof of a specific intent to defraud the U.S. government. Instead, health care providers can be prosecuted for a wide variety of conduct that leads to the submission of fraudulent claims to the government, such as knowingly making false statements, falsifying records, double-billing for items or services, submitting bills for services never performed or items never furnished or otherwise causing a false claim to be submitted.
Deficit Reduction Act
The Deficit Reduction Act (“DRA”) was signed into law in 2006. The law, which became effective on January 1, 2007, aims to cut fraud, waste and abuse from the Medicare and Medicaid programs over the next five years.
Health care entities like Molina, who receive or pay out at least $5 million in Medicaid funds per year, must comply with DRA. As a contractor doing business with Molina, providers and their staff have the same obligation to report any actual or suspected fraud, waste or abuse. Health care entities must have written policies that inform employees, contractors, and agents of the following:
The Federal False Claims Act has qui tam language commonly referred to as “whistleblower” provisions. These provisions encourage employees (current or former) and others to report instances of fraud, waste or abuse to the government. The government may then proceed to file a lawsuit against the organization/individual accused of violating the False Claims acts. The whistleblower may also file a lawsuit on their own. Cases found in favor of the government will result in the whistleblower receiving a portion of the amount awarded to the government.
The Federal False Claims Act contains language related to personal liability:
Whistleblower protections state that employees who have been discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed or otherwise discriminated against due to their role in furthering a false claim are entitled to all relief necessary to make the employee whole including:
Affected entities who fail to comply with the law will be at risk of forfeiting all Marketplace payments until compliance is met. Molina Healthcare of Mississippi will take steps to monitor Molina contracted providers to ensure compliance with the DRA.
Health care fraud includes, but is not limited to, the making of intentional false statements, misrepresentations or deliberate omissions of material facts from, any record, bill, claim or any other form for the purpose of obtaining payment, compensation or reimbursement for health care services.
Examples of Fraud and Abuse
By a Member
By a Provider
Other Provider Schemes
Preventing Fraud and Abuse
Molina and other State and Federal regulatory and law enforcement agencies are working together to help prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. Here are a few helpful prevention tips:
Reporting Fraud and Abuse
You may report suspected cases of fraud and abuse to Molina's Compliance Officer. You have the right to have your concerns reported anonymously to Molina, the Mississippi State Attorney General’s and/or the Mississippi Insurance Fraud Division. When reporting an issue, please provide as much information as possible. The more information provided the better the chance the situation will be successfully reviewed and resolved. Remember to include the following information when reporting suspected fraud or abuse:
You can report fraud in several ways. You can contact Molina’s Compliance Office:
You can also report to the Mississippi Insurance Fraud Division:
You can also contact the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office:
For those who do not have a computer or the internet at home, don’t worry. You can use one at your local public library.