Sebelius to discuss health care fraud prevention

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will give the keynote address at the U.S. Administration on Aging’s Annual SMP (formerly called Senior Medicare Patrol) Conference taking place August 18-20 in Washington, D.C.

BACKGROUND: The SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) program, administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA) in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the HHS Inspector General's Office, was created in 1997 (through language authored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) included in the Older Americans Act). SMP volunteers -- retired senior citizen advocates -- work in partnership with AoA’s national network of aging and community-based organizations as well as faith-based, tribal and health care organizations to prevent, detect and report health care fraud. SMP volunteers work in their own communities to educate more than 28 million Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries on how to recognize and report suspected cases of deceptive health care practices such as overbilling, overcharging or providing unnecessary or inappropriate services.

Since the program’s inception, nearly $106 million in Medicare, Medicaid and other savings, have been attributable to the work of the SMP projects. Today, 54 SMP projects educate and empower consumers to prevent health care fraud at the grassroots level in all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee will introduce the Secretary and on August 19 will honor 10 outstanding volunteers at a Special Recognition Luncheon. The theme for this year’s conference is “Embracing Excellence.”