Report shows MDHHS Office of Inspector General protects taxpayer dollars

Anti-fraud efforts of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Office of Inspector General saved taxpayers more than $237 million in fiscal year 2018.

The MDHHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released its 2018 Annual Report, which illustrates the positive impact of the office. “OIG’s actions benefit all citizens by helping ensure that funds for MDHHS programs are available to the residents that truly need them, and that taxpayers’ money is spent on its intended purpose,” said MDHHS Inspector General Alan Kimichik.

As a criminal justice agency, OIG works with many federal, state and local authorities to prevent, detect and investigate fraud, waste and abuse in programs administered by MDHHS and maintain the accountability and integrity of those programs.

Along with providing opportunities for residents, protecting taxpayer dollars is a priority of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and this administration,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “It’s great news that in 2018 our OIG saved $237.4 million by preventing and discovering fraud and taking action. For each dollar we spent on fraud protection in 2018, $38 was returned to the taxpayers.”

Some examples of the OIG’s successes from the annual report include:

• $146 million in fraud prevention in public assistance including food assistance, financial assistance, state emergency relief and childcare.
• $40.5 million in costs avoided by using a data match system to identify individuals receiving public assistance in two or more states at the same time.
• $30.6 million overall impact to direct Medicaid spending including pharmacy, dental, home help, transportation, durable medical equipment, laboratory and many other provider types identifying overpayments.

The annual report can be found on the MDHHS website, www.michigan.gov/documents/mdhhs/OIG-Annual-Report_655 213_7.pdf. To report public assistance fraud, visit www.michigan.gov/reportwelfarefraud or call 800-222-8558.