Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

Congress seeks solutions for fraud in home care for seniors, disabled

Modern Healthcare: Painkiller diversion, visits that were never made, and, in a few cases, deadly neglect have been underwritten by taxpayers, House members heard Tuesday at a hearing on how to improve oversight of Medicaid's personal-care services spending.Personal services spending helps with the activities of daily living—bathing, dressing and meal preparation, for instance. People who do this work don't need to have any training, and in some states, don't undergo background checks.Christi Grimm, chief of staff in HHS' Office of Inspector General, told the Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee that Medicaid spent $14.5 billion on personal services for 3.2 million beneficiaries during fiscal 2014.

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