Columbus – Franklin County-based ambulette service Caring Hands Transportation of Ohio, LLC owes Ohio Medicaid $71,000 due to inadequate documentation and an unauthorized driver, according to an audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

“There aren’t any shortcuts around the law,” Auditor Yost said. “Keeping an accurate and complete book is part of the job. Just get it done.” 

The audit tested 204 ambulette service records during the period of August 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010 and identified 144 errors.  Ohio law requires a certificate of medical necessity (CMN) in order for ambulette services to be covered by Medicaid.  The audit identified 37 transports that did not have a completed CMN to authorize the transport and 22 transports where the CMN was invalid.

The audit also identified 11 instances where there was no trip documentation to support that a transport occurred, 14 instances with incomplete trip documentation, 10 attendant services where the attendant’s name was omitted and two services where mileage documented did not match what was billed. Additionally, the audit identified 13 transports where the driver was not qualified to transport.

The audit determined that Caring Hands Transportation overcharged Ohio Medicaid by $61,385. With interest in the amount of $9,619.79, the total amount owed to Ohio Medicaid is $71,004.79.

A full copy of this audit may be accessed online. 

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,800 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Carrie Bartunek
Press Secretary
614-644-1111