2. o Established in 2006 as an independent program integrity entity within the Department of Health (DOH) o Our mission: To enhance the integrity of the New York State Medicaid program by preventing and detecting fraudulent, abusive, and wasteful practices in the Medicaid program and recovering improperly expended Medicaid funds while promoting high-quality patient care 2

3. o Julia McPherson, Management Specialist 3 o Sean Parker, Management Specialist 1 o Peter Zayicek, Management Specialist 2 o John Sitterly, Management Specialist 3 o Anita Dowse, Hospital Nursing Service Consultant 3

4. To protect the Medicaid program and recipients from providers who pose a risk. OMIG has authority to sanction individuals and entities 4

5. 18 NYCRR 515.3 Upon a determination that a person has engaged in an unacceptable practice, the department may impose one of the following sanctions: o Exclusion o Censure o Limited Participation 5

6. 18 NYCRR 504.7(d) If an enrolled provider loses his or her license, the provider’s enrollment in New York State Medicaid is terminated. Provider is no longer enrolled in Medicaid. 6

7. o Immediate Sanctions 515.7 Indictment Conviction Imminent Danger Professional Misconduct o Mandatory Exclusion 515.8 HHS/OIG Medicare Exclusion o Sanctions Based on Unacceptable Practices 515.2 18 unacceptable practices defined in the regulations 7

8. 18 NYCRR 515.7 Indictment 8

9. o 18NYCRR 515.7 o Indictment o Conviction 9

10. o 18 NYCRR 515.7 o Indictment o Conviction o Imminent Danger 10

11. o 18 NYCRR 515.7 o Indictment o Conviction o Imminent Danger o Professional Misconduct 11

12. o Whether the determination was based upon a mistake of fact o Whether any crime charged in an indictment, or conviction of a crime, resulted from furnishing or billing for medical care, service, or supplies o Whether the sanction imposed was reasonable 12

13. o 18 NYCRR 515.8 o Federal Medicare Exclusion 13

14. o Unacceptable Practices 515.2 o 18 Unacceptable practices as defined in the regulations 14

15. o Immediate Sanctions 515.7 Indictment Conviction Imminent Danger Professional Misconduct o Mandatory Exclusion 515.8 HHS/OIG Medicare Exclusion o Sanctions Based on Unacceptable Practices 515.2 18 unacceptable practices as defined in the regulations 15

16. o State Education Department o Office of Professional Medical Conduct o Health and Human Services o Medicaid Fraud Control Unit o Referrals from other states o Office of Medicaid Inspector General o Prosecutor Web sites, other state agencies, and OMIG audits and investigations 16

17. o Consent Order/Determination and Order o Indictment/Conviction o Federal Exclusion o Affiliation 17

18. 18 NYCRR 515.5(c) “A person who is excluded from the program cannot be involved in any activity relating to furnishing medical care, services or supplies to recipients of medical assistance for which claims are submitted to the program, or relating to claiming or receiving payment for medical care, services or supplies during the period.” 18

19. o HHS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) o Verify that a person is not excluded when they are hired o Verify every 30 days that current employees have not been excluded o Search the HHS/OIG List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) o Search the OMIG list of restricted or excluded individuals or entities on OMIG Web site 19

20. Medicaid providers found to be in violation are placed on the OMIG list of restricted and excluded individuals and entities available on the OMIG Web site, which enables any organization access to review for disqualified providers. http://omig.ny.gov/data 20

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28. o Applications on www.emedny.org sitewww.emedny.org o Submit to Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) o Applications reviewed by New York State Department of Health (DOH) prior to review by OMIG o Secondary review by OMIG/Enrollment Assessment Unit (EAR) 28

29. o Placeholder: www.emedny.org screen shot for application for reinstatement.www.emedny.org 29

30. o A reinstatement application is made as an application for enrollment o Reinstatement may only be granted if it is reasonably certain that the violations will not be repeated 30

31. o Answer the four “yes/no” questions on the application o Prior conduct questionnaire o Cover letter addressing the reasons for exclusion and give assurances 31

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33. Assurances may include: o Courses or continuing education o Substance abuse or other counseling o Restitution o Third-party monitoring of billing o Compliance Plan – www.omig.ny.gov/datawww.omig.ny.gov/data o Any other assurances can be submitted 33

34. o OMIG may ask for information and documentation regarding the conviction o The applicant is responsible for obtaining the information o Applicant will be given at least 30 days to submit information 34

35. o An individual excluded from Medicare may not be reinstated into the Medicaid program o Apply for Medicare reinstatement first: www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/exclusions/reinstatemen t.asp www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/exclusions/reinstatemen t.asp o Exception – Medicare exclusions based solely on Medicaid exclusion 35

36. o All reviews done on a case-by-case basis o Medicaid reinstatement decision is separate from Medicare, OPD, or OPMC decision o Law allows 90-day time frame for review 36

37. o Nature of violation o Error or intentional o Length of time since violation o Patterns/repeated violations o Voluntary corrective actions taken o Acceptance of responsibility for actions o Monitoring or supervision o Not limited to these factors 37

38. o OMIG will inform applicant of approval or denial o If reinstatement is approved, the individual or entity’s provider number will be reactivated o Reinstated parties removed from exclusion list o Individual or entity may be reinstated with limitations 38

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40. A physician was excluded after he showed up once to work while intoxicated. No patients were harmed. Applied two years later for reinstatement. o Submitted documentation of participation in Committee on Physicians Health of Medical Society of State of New York o Submitted a letter from alcohol rehabilitation counselor o Attends AA regularly o Has license back; no problems since exclusion o OMIG approved MD for reinstatement 40

41. A physician was excluded after billing Medicaid for $100,000 in false claims. License restored after six months. Applied for reinstatement two months later. o Denies charges – was just a “misunderstanding” o Has since been indicted for false billings to a health insurance company o States he will never agree to having someone monitor his practice o OMIG denied MD for reinstatement 41

42. o Excluded parties that do not want to enroll in Medicaid may request only removal from exclusion list o Removal without reinstatement does not allow party to directly bill Medicaid o Removal allows applicant to provide Medicaid services that an employer can be reimbursed for 42

43. o Can be done as a letter to OMIG o Include name, address, contact information, license number o Letter must specifically state that the request is for removal from exclusion list o Letter should explain reasons for exclusion and address the reasons for proposed removal 43

44. Requests for removals can be sent to: John Sitterly Division of Medicaid Investigations 800 North Pearl Street Albany, NY 12204 44

45. Applicant may submit: o Courses or continuing education o Substance abuse or other counseling o Statement as to where applicant plans to work if removed from list o Letters from employer or other supporting documents o Any other assurances can be submitted 45

46. o All reviews done on a case-by-case basis o Decision on removal is separate from Medicare, OPD or OPMC decisions o Law allows 90-day timeframe for review o Because letter goes directly to OMIG, process may be quicker than reinstatement process 46

47. o Error or intentional o Length of time since violation o Patterns/repeated violations o How does removal affect New York State Medicaid? o Involved with Medicaid recipients? o Does applicant need removal just to participate with third-party payers? o Working out of state? 47

48. o OMIG will inform applicant of decision o If removal is approved, will be removed from exclusion list o Removal allows employer to bill for services applicant provides o Can still request reinstatement 48

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50. A nurse was excluded for taking drugs from a locked area in a nursing home for her own use. Applied two years later for removal from exclusion list. o Right after exclusion, she got involved with PAP o Successfully completed rehabilitation program o Submitted current statement from her counselor o Admitted she stole the medication/very sorry o OMIG approved removal from exclusion list 50

51. A home care provider stole a Medicaid recipient’s credit card and charged more than $2,000 on the card in various stores, forging the recipient’s name. Applied for removal seven weeks after exclusion. o Applicant’s letter downplays incident o States only that exclusion harms her financially o Wants to continue to work in home care in New York State o OMIG denied request for removal from list 51

52. o If a denial is based on prior conduct, applicant may not reapply for two years o Denials may be appealed o Denial letters give information regarding appeal rights 52

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54. o 45 days after denial to appeal o Appeal reviewed by an Appeals Committee within 60 days o Decision after appeal is the final decision of Medicaid 54

55. o For questions regarding the exclusion process: Peter Zayicek- 518-474-9739 o For questions regarding the reinstatement process: Richard Preus – 518-408-0851 o For questions regarding the process for removal from the exclusion list: Anita Dowse – 518-408-0189 55