AP: Medicare’s $30 million ambulance-ride mystery

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/news/nation/medicare-s-million-ambulance-ride-mystery/article_65184602-6692-11e5-94c5-e7fd1d606d65.html

POSTED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 5:11 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare paid $30 million for ambulance rides for which no record exists that patients got medical care at their destination, the place where they were picked up or other critical information.

The mystery ambulance rides are part of a bigger problem with Medicare payments for transporting patients, according to a federal audit being released Tuesday.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general’s office also found that some urban ambulance services got paid for an average distance of more than 100 miles per ride. That contrasts with a national average of just 10 miles for urban ambulance rides.

Four major metro areas seemed to be breeding grounds for ambulance schemes. Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York and Houston accounted for about half of the questionable rides and payments. Medicare has barred new ambulance companies from joining the program in Houston and Philadelphia, and the report recommends a similar approach in certain other places.

FULL story at link.

[hollysmom]

1. aparently, there is a ambulance scandal near me, but the problem is

old people who have n o one to take them to the doctor, they call an ambulance to get to the hospital to see their doctors. It is not easy to fix this without billing the people outrageous amounts. I don't know if this is the same thing, but in these cases, they need a "care car" to drive them. some people are working on it for here.

[jwirr]

4. My daughter is extremely disabled and in a wheel chair. When

she needs medical care we could have called for an ambulance to go the 30 miles to the nearest specialists. But I happen to be a member of our transportation board in our county and asked about their mini-bus services. For a much smaller cost they would take her.

The problem is that no one knew about the service - even the social workers. And it is often a social worker who makes the arrangements unless it is an emergency.

The other way that this is handled in our area for people who are able to walk is a volunteer service that pays the driver mileage and lunch if it takes that long.

But the biggest problem I see here is the fact that no one was keeping records. I see that as evidence of fraud.

[Downwinder]

5. Here you would call the Paratransport Service

48 hours in advance and pay $1.50.

[jwirr]

10. Actually I suspect that our bus service and your ParaTransport

Service are very much alike. Our service started out in the 60s as a CAP service for the elderly and disabled and we turned it into an everyone can ride bus service.

[Downwinder]

11. We are getting there.

We now have three scheduled routes. The scheduled routes are much better for me. I have no idea what i will be doing 48 hours from now.

[jwirr]

12. Good. This is one service that is extremely important to

a lot of people.

[99th_Monkey]

2. I'm on Medicare, and my ambulance ride costs ME $250

I doubt old folks are using ambulances as a "free" taxi ride.

[REP]

6. I'm aware of mentally ill MediCare/Medicaid patients using ambulances to refill prescriptions

The fault is not with them; these were destitute and/or homeless people with severe illnesses who did need to refill prescriptions and that was the only way they knew of to get to the hospital to get them (and it may have been the only way). There needs to be a less wasteful (of ambulance and EMT time) way to get these underserved people the transportation and basic medical care they deserve.

[99th_Monkey]

8. Well, if it really is the "only way" I would agree.

it is difficult to bill Medicare for a taxi ride I guess.

[REP]

9. There should be another option

But yeah, I'd rather chip in for the ambulance so people can get the medical care they need than make people go without. Drop in the bucket compared to how many trillions for useless fighter planes?

[UCmeNdc]

3. No Mystery, someone is committing fraud.

Someone signed for the service and someone else signed the check to pay for it. Both should go to jail.

[onethatcares]

7. Amen to that,

I never read about uncle jim defrauding the medicare system out of 7.89 million dollars but I do read about Dr Abal Smith doing so.

Problem is, they would put uncle jim in jail and make him die there, Dr Abal Smith would get a slap on the wrist and maybe be elected governor of Floriduh.