The Trump administration on Tuesday widened its efforts to stamp out Medicaid fraud, at least in its fifth state this year, calling on Florida officials to share information on how they identify, prevent, and address bad actors in their state program.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, had previously sent similar requests to New York, Minnesota, Maine, and California in what has been a growing, Trump administration-wide initiative to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse.
The letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders is the first such request that Oz has announced to a Republican-led state as the administration seeks to convey that fraud won’t be accepted regardless of political leadership.
It comes a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create an anti-fraud task force across federal benefit…
PROCUREMENT & EXPENDITURE (STOPPING KICKBACKS)
Procurement fraud usually involves inflated invoices or “fictitious” vendors.
- The Three-Way Match: Never pay an invoice unless you have matched the Purchase Order (PO), the Delivery Note (signed), and the Supplier Invoice.
- Vendor Master File Review: Review your vendor list annually. Look for suppliers with the same bank details or physical addresses as your employees.
- Dual Authorization: Implement a “Two-to-Sign” rule for all EFT payments above a certain threshold (e.g., R5,000).
- No “Cashing” of Checks: If you still use physical checks, strictly prohibit “Cash” as a payee and store blank checks in a dual-lock safe.