April 2, 2024

As you know, last week the NYS Council co-hosted a press conference highlighting the critical need for meaningful OMIG Audit Reform.  Numerous media outlets were in attendance and wrote about the event and the critical issues facing Medicaid providers and the individuals who are impacted by the tactics currently used by OMIG to recoup funds for services where (upon audit) there was no fraud found.

Politico, Crain’s Health Pulse and several other regional newspapers ran stories on the press conference.  The video also ran on NYSNYS.com, YouTube and Facebook.

The Politico article included a quote from a representative at the OMIG as follows:

“This legislation would modify the OMIG’s ability to enforce such standards by limiting the audit and recovery of Medicaid claims that were improperly justified,” office spokesperson Bill Schwarz said in a statement.”

And the Crain’s Health Pulse article was subsequently updated and re-published to include the following from Mr. Schwarz at the OMIG:

William Schwarz, a spokesman for the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, said that the legislation would change the agency’s ability to audit health care providers by limiting the recovery of claims that were improperly approved.

The NYS Council never gives up!

We prepared a response to the statement from the OMIG correcting the record.  We have sent our response to the media outlets that published the stories (discussed above) and it is currently running on the Empire Report here:https://empirereportnewyork.com/statement-in-response-to-omig-comments-on-reform-legislation/