S.C. to post Medicaid payments online
S.C. to post Medicaid payments to doctors, nursing homes online
South Carolina is now posting how much the local nursing home or doctor gets in Mediciad reimbursements.
"We are pleased to be able to offer the public a way to track how their money is spent in the Medicaid program," Emma Forkner, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. "This kind of spending transparency is key to ensuring accountability from government agencies and those who get paid by them."
The move by DHHS, which administers the $5.4 billion Medicaid program, will help DHHS locate "unusual billing patterns" and hopefully detect fraud.
The site also provides information about dentists, hospitals and any of the other nearly 30,000 health care providers in South Carolina who participate in the Medicaid program. It includes their reimbursements as well as the number of patients they saw. More than 800,000 South Carolinians receive Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.
To access the data, go to http://www.dhhs.state.sc.us/dhhsnew/Transparency.asp and click on Medicaid Transparency Database.
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