OIG: Medicaid telehealth fraud for behavioral health goes unchecked in most states

Becker's Healthcare September 22, 2021
Katie Adams

States must improve how they track telehealth to treat behavioral health among Medicaid enrollees, as most states don’t monitor fraud or measure how virtual visits improve patient care and access, HHS’ Office of Inspector General said in a Sept. 21 report.

The OIG spoke with Medicaid directors from 37 states that provide telehealth behavioral services to understand how they evaluate their telehealth use. Below are four takeaways:

1. Twenty-three of the 37 states reported fraud as a major telehealth concern, but just 11 states monitored fraud and waste related to telehealth. The OIG pointed out that even though Medicaid is a joint program run by the federal government and state governments, states are responsible for monitoring telehealth fraud.

   The OIG...

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