March 20, 2019 Comprehensive audit of health department shows minor findingsOnly financial overpayment is for $8,112

- In its most recent comprehensive audit of the management and finances of the Louisiana Department of Health and its Medicaid program, the Legislative Auditor identified nine findings. The findings included process and record keeping errors and a single overpayment of $8,112 to home and community-based providers because services were not properly documented.

Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Department of Health, said nine audit findings are too many and are being corrected. She added that the Department has a goal of zero audit findings in the future.

“For the largest state agency that is responsible for billions of taxpayer dollars, it is good news that the only overpayment identified by the auditor was for $8,112 out of the $460 million waiver program that provides an array of services to assist people with disabilities to live in the community,” Gee said. “I am pleased that the findings did not identify any areas in which patient care or safety was compromised.”

Several of the items listed in the audit addressed reporting errors, with no financial impact, all of which have been corrected. These include:

Other findings include:

Medicaid eligibility: An additional finding was a repeat of an audit issued in 2018 that concluded Medicaid’s eligibility system was inadequate. This old, antiquated system was recently replaced by a modernized system that can make more accurate eligibility determinations. 

Surgeon General Ralph L. Abraham, M.D.

Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein

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