Columbus – Chenita Group Home in Mansfield (Richland County) billed the Ohio Department of Medicaid $9,057 for patient services that never occurred or were not authorized, according to an examination completed by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.

These findings resulted from an agreed upon procedures engagement performed by Auditor of State Dave Yost. 

“Constant vigilance is needed to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent as intended” said Yost. “Overbilling such as this is an unacceptable drain on resources intended to help Ohio’s neediest citizens.”

The overpayments occurred when the home continued to claim reimbursement for services to two patients after they had been discharged. In one case, the home overbilled for 28 days and in the other, 12 days. The overbillings occurred between April 2014 and December 2014. 

In another case, the home sought reimbursement of $1,633 for holding a client’s place in the home for eight days longer than authorized. Intermediate Care facilities are permitted to charge for no more than 30 “bed-hold” days while clients are off premises seeking hospital care or for other reasons.

The report also noted that tests of the home’s payroll, non-payroll expenses, capitalization of fixed assets, and rental and lease agreements were hampered by a lack of documentation.

A full copy of this report can be found online.

 ###

The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 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:
Beth Gianforcaro
Press Secretary
614-644-1111