Chris Caya (2009-06-18)
WNED News

BUFFALO (wned) - Washington, Albany and Erie County plan on spending hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone on Medicaid. It is the County's largest expenditure. But a new Comptroller's report faults the County for not doing enough to track down fraud.

Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz says he's concerned over the County's lack of progress in tracking down Medicaid fraud and recovering taxpayer dollars.

Poloncarz says the state and other counties are recouping improper Medicaid payments. But Erie County, he says, has nothing to show for its anti-fraud effort.

"We were told for many years, starting with the Giambra Administration, that we would be ale to recapture over a million dollars per year. We don't have anything to show for it," Poloncarz said.

But Department of Social Services Commissioner Michael Weiner takes issue with the Comptroller's claims. Weiner says the county is very committed to going after fraud.

Last year, DSS Investigators, he says, recovered more than $4 million in improper Medicaid payments to consumers.

Vendor fraud is a different story though. Weiner says before the County can go after doctors or pharmacies, it has to get approval from the State's Office of Inspector General and the Attornery General.

"The Attorney General office also has powers that allows them to say to Erie County 'you can't do an audit, we're already doing an audit of that company,'" Weiner said.

Weiner says he does agree with Poloncarz that it's important to get all the key players together to discuss preventing Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse.

But Weiner says if the state doesn't take part, it will be a waste of time.

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