• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
California Health Advocates

California Health Advocates

  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Our Team
    • Mission
    • Education Services
    • About HICAP
    • Press
    • Testimonials
  • MEDICARE COUNSELING
  • Fact Sheets
  • Topics
    • The Basics
    • Prescription Drugs
    • Low-Income Help
    • Medigap
    • Medicare Advantage
    • Other Health Insurance
    • Appeals
    • Billing & Claims
    • Disabilities
    • Long-Term Care
    • Tribal Nations & Medicare
    • Health Care Reform
    • Advocacy & Policy
    • Glossary
  • Fraud & Abuse
  • Medicare Complaints
  • Blog
  • Donate

Korean Officials Meet with CA SMP to Learn How We Fight Fraud

California Health Advocates > Fraud & Abuse > Korean Officials Meet with CA SMP to Learn How We Fight Fraud

Posted by Karen Joy Fletcher on January 18, 2013

Last fall our California Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) had a visit from several Korean officials. They were from the Institutional Improvement Division of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), a division dedicated to fighting corruption and fraud in Korea. Why did they visit, you may ask? These officials were on a mission to stop the corruption found in their entitlement and social welfare programs and to ensure transparency and integrity in their public health care system. Throughout 2012, they visited various overseas governments, NGOs and academic institutions as a way to study the ideas, experiences and practices/systems used to combat fraud. Upon seeing a press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that mentioned the Senior Medicare Patrol, these Korean officials became interested in SMP’s activities and accomplishments in preventing and detecting health care fraud, waste and abuse.

Therefore, in early December, a group of 3 Korean officials came to our Santa Ana SMP office to meet with our SMP Project Director, Julie Schoen, SMP Project Coordinator, Anne Gray and our Data Specialist, Micki Nozaki. They wanted to learn firsthand how our health care system works, where we see fraud, the kinds of fraud we see and what we’re doing to prevent and detect it. The delegation was surprised to learn how openly we broadcast fraud, letting the public know of the problem as a way to help prevent, detect and report it. In Korea, they don’t publically advertise the problem, even though it is a major issue there. Also, although it was a challenge to explain our complicated Medicare program, the layers of coordination, government oversight and flow of funds through translators, these officials were nonetheless enthusiastic to learn and took copious notes. Our SMP shared stories of “capper schemes” and durable medical equipment fraud and they too expressed experiencing similar problems, especially with upcoding. For example, they have many cases of people being prescribed high-end wheel chairs when in reality they only receive basic ones.

One interesting cultural difference is the concept of volunteerism. The delegation wanted to understand why citizens would volunteer without pay to help SMP provide outreach and education and assist in reporting cases. They did not see the purpose in this, but when SMP explained that it was to preserve the integrity of the Medicare benefit and to keep the benefits intact for future generations, they responded positively and affirmed through the translator that they understood this passion to serve.

Having these Korean officials come learn from our SMP project was a delightful surprise, an honor and an enriching experience for everyone. These officials had an impressive thirst for knowledge and commitment to learn and improve the integrity of their own public health care system. In parting, they said they would follow up with our program in the future. CHA looks forward to seeing how their visit with SMP, as well as the Office of Inspector General and the Department of Health and Human Services will shape their health care delivery and fraud prevention system.

KoreanDelegatesMeetwSMP

Filed Under: Fraud & Abuse, News

Previous Post: « Duals Demonstration Program Delayed to September 2013
Next Post: Social Security Provides New Personalized Online Services »

About Karen Joy Fletcher

Our blogger Karen Joy Fletcher is CHA's Communications Director. With a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley, she is the online "public face" of the organization, provides technical expertise, writing and research on Medicare and other health care issues. She is responsible for digital content creation, management of CHA’s editorial calendar, and managing all aspects of CHA’s social media presence. She loves being a "communicator" and enjoys networking and collaborating with the passionate people and agencies in the health advocacy field. See her current articles.

Related Posts

  • Hospice Fraud Highlighted in New Yorker Magazine
  • Morales Honored for Her Stellar Casework & Compassionate Heart
  • Speaking Out Against Senior Scams at Senate Aging Committee
  • FTC Alerts Consumers: If Scammers Had You Pay Them Via Western Union, You Can Now File a Claim to Get Money Back

Primary Sidebar

Change Text Size

  • 100%  110%  120%  130%  

News & Blog Categories

  • Medicare Advantage
  • Low-Income help
  • Medicare & Disabilities
  • Medicare Basics
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Medicare & Other Health Insurance
  • Medicare Billings, Claims & Appeals
  • Health Care Disparities
  • Fraud & Abuse

—

  • COVID-19
  • Resources
  • Health Care Reform
  • Long-Term Care
  • CHA News

—

  • Advocacy & Policy
  • Letters and Comments to Policymakers
  • Legislative and Congressional Testimony
  • Policy Briefs

Send Us Comment

Do you have comments or concerns about your Medicare coverage? Issues regarding getting your needed prescriptions from your Part D plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan representative's marketing practices? Let us know at comments@cahealthadvocates.org.

We are dedicated to making Medicare's program work well for all beneficiaries. Your feedback from your own or your client's concerns and experiences with Medicare, will guide our Medicare advocacy efforts with key policy and decision-makers in both California and nationally with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Congress.

Archives

Donate Today

Footer

Sign up for our newsletter

Choose the news you'd like to receive

Important Links

  • About Us
  • Fact Sheets
  • Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Follow Us

Copyright © 2023 · California Health Advocates · Web Design by TWK Web and Print Design · Log in