Sen Addabbo: I Support Amending Public Health Law to Establish Medicaid Identification & Anti-Fraud Biometric Technology Program

Scanners to Be Used by Hospitals, Clinics, Pharmacies for Patient ID, Greatly Reducing Costs of Fraud

NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens), a member of the Senate’s Committee on the Aging, supports a measure pending in the Legislature, A.6555/S.4384, which would amend the public health law to allow New York to rapidly roll out a fraud prevention technology program many legislators say is well overdue.

The proposal would implement a technology-based fraud prevention mechanism in hospitals, clinics and pharmacies all across New York by relying on biometric technology. Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and analyzing biological data. In information technology, biometrics refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, such as DNA, fingerprints, eye retina and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns and hand measurements, for authentication purposes.

The legislation will do away with the current and faulty practice of allowing each county to issue its own Medicaid card and strengthens weak identification requirements to access Medicaid services. The implementation of biometric technology in the Medicaid program will bring mass fraud to a halt due to the strong verification and authentication measures of the system. It will stop Medicaid payments for fraudulent services at the point of service rather than the “pay and chase” behavior New York has become too comfortable using.

The legislation would require the implementation of biometric palm readers and software in all hospitals, health clinics, and pharmacies. The technology would catch duplicate prescription requests and medical services. In addition to security, the driving force behind biometric verification has been convenience. Biometric devices, such as finger scanners, consist of: a reader or scanning device; software that converts the scanned information into digital form and compares matches; a smart card that stores the biometric data authentication, identification and payment authorization. The law would also require the NYS Department of Health to provide a report to the legislature on the cost and implementation of the Medicaid identification and anti-fraud biometric technology program within six months of enactment.

Explains Senator Addabbo, “Billions of dollars in Medicaid fraud are being wasted annually in New York State, and with anticipated further major cuts in Medicaid funding on the horizon, I am hopeful that this legislation could result in saving the state needed funds and protect health care for many individuals.” According to the Senator, the state will spend over $54 billion dollars this fiscal year (2011-2012) on Medicaid. Experts predict that 10%, or over $5 billion, comprises fraudulent charges to the state’s health insurance for the poor, disabled and elderly. It is Addabbo’s contention to cut out the fraud on such a tremendous scale first, before the state cuts billions of dollars in vital services for our children and the elderly infirm. “I believe that Medicaid’s skyrocketing expenditures are mostly caused by rampant fraud. It’s time our state legislature addresses this issue for our people and looks to prevent the annual theft of over $5 billion of taxpayer funds. Fraud prevention technology is the only practical mechanism to stop Medicaid fraud, abuse and overuse of services,” Addabbo concluded.

The $20 million one-time investment in the technology needed for this anti-fraud measure can be raised by implementing a one-penny-per-prescription charge for a six-month period on each of the $4 billion Medicaid-paid prescriptions written each year (on average, each Medicaid recipient fills 100 prescriptions per year and there are over four million Medicaid recipients in New York).

The legislation is now being reviewed by the state Senate’s Committee on Health before passage and being sent to the governor for his signature. If passed, the law will take effect immediately.

Senator Addabbo to Host Another FREE Health Fair on Sunday, September 26, 10 AM - 2 PM, at Nativity B.V.M. Church

Senator Addabbo will host another free Health Fair on Sunday, September 26, 10 AM - 2 PM, at Nativity B.V.M. Church basement, 101-41 91st Street, Ozone Park. 

Representatives from AIDS Center of Queens County, American Cancer Society, Community Health Network, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Food Bank of NY, Jamaica Hospital, Pearle Vision, Project Chernobyl, Queens Hospital Center and many more, will be on hand to provide free services like: HIV/AIDS testing; blood pressure screenings; eye check-ups; food stamp application screenings; glucose screenings; nutritional information; smoking cessation program; thyroid screenings. 


There will also be information on applying for Medicare, Medicaid, EPIC, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus, with free Child ID cards provided by New York Life.

Health Fair at Navitity BVM Church on September 26th - 10am - 2pm

Click on image to enlarge

What: Free Health Fair
Where: Nativity BVM Church Basement
101-41 91st Street Ozone Park, NY
When: September 26th, 2010
Time: 10am - 2pm

For additional information contact: Marisol - 718-738-1111

Sponsored by: State Senator Joe Addabbo

Can RoboHawk Solve NYC's Pigeon Problem? by Ryan Chatelain -- -- Newsday.com

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From its perch, the bird of prey shakes its head from left to right, flaps its wings and bellows its call. While it may look and sound real to pigeons, it's not.

Robotic hawks are increasingly being deployed on corporation campuses and at airports around the world as a humane deterrent for unwanted birds. And they could be one weapon for driving pigeons from New York City sidewalks.

"I don't want to say it's a panacea for all problems," said John Donald, managing director of Robop Limited, which manufactures mechanical hawks. "It can certainly reduce the numbers."

The idea of using robotic hawks in New York was floated last fall in Councilman Simcha Felder's report about what he views as a citywide pigeon problem. Felder (D-Brooklyn) is proposing a bill that would fine people $1,000 for feeding the birds and would create a "pigeon czar" to be responsible for pigeon-related matters, such as cleanup. He expects a council hearing on the legislation, which is still being drafted, to be held before the end of the year.

Using robots to combat the city's immense pigeon population is not part of Felder's bill but could be an option if the Bloomberg administration feels the high-tech scarecrows are a good investment, Felder said. The city's health department did not comment directly about the possible use of robotic hawks but said pigeons do not pose a health risk to the public.

Municipalities have rarely resorted to robots, with Liverpool, England, last year becoming one of their few - and highest profile - customers. Liverpool purchased 10 of the $4,200 Robops, produced in Scotland and designed to look, act and sound like peregrine falcons. While it's unclear how effective the robots alone have been there, the novel items have drummed up worldwide media attention and helped the Liverpool City Council deliver its bigger message to residents: Don't feed the pigeons.

"Spending $50,000 to get rid of a problem that is a health hazard and is disgusting is a small price to pay," Felder said.

Robop, oddly enough, doesn't fly and must be moved around periodically to trick pigeons.

Another robotic hawk, Falco Robot, made in Spain and modeled after a goshawk, does fly, however.

Both products would have their drawbacks in New York, though.

Falco Robot, which is controlled remotely, requires a trained operator to fly it, likely driving up its price tag. The makers of Falco Robot would not disclose how much their product costs.

Meanwhile, Robop, can work for hours on its own but was designed only to rid individual buildings of pesky birds, not a major city.

City officials have not been in contact with the makers of Robop or Falco Robot, the manufacturers said.

Study: New Yorkers Breathing In Dangerous Mix Of Toxins - NY1: Queens

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A new report released today shows that nearly half of all New Yorkers live in areas where the air does not meet minimum standards.

The American Lung Association's 2008 State of the Air report says seven of New York State's 33 counties receive failing grades for air quality. More than 8.2 million people live in that area -- adding up to nearly half of the state's population.

New York City also finished eighth among all cities most polluted by ozone.

The Bronx and Manhattan both failed tests for annual and short-term particle pollution, while Queens failed for annual particle pollution, and Staten Island failed for ozone.

The ALA says New Yorkers are breathing in a dangerous mix of toxins.

"To a large extent, New York City's air problems are the result of high traffic, the density of traffic," said Louise Vetter, president and chief executive officer of the ALA of NYC. "We are also faced with power plant pollution blowing from the Midwest. And the power fuel used to heat our buildings is actually quite dirty."

"So building emissions, vehicle emissions, and then power plants create a triple threat for the New York City area," she continued.

Eight counties did improve to an A for ozone pollution.

"We've seen over the last nine years that the ozone levels are particularly high and the particle pollution is particularly dangerous," said Vetter. "Some boroughs have seen modest improvements, from and F to a D in ozone. But really, if your child brought home a grade of a D, you wouldn't be comfortable with that and New Yorkers require better air quality."

New Yorkers had a mixed reaction to the report.

"I don't think [the air quality is] that bad," said one New Yorker.

"Sometimes when it's really hot, there's a kind of heaviness and you feel like there's a lot of smog or smoke in the air and you draw a breath in, yeah you feel something uncomfortable," said another. "But you get used to it."

The Lung Association says poor air quality can contribute to respiratory diseases, such as asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, chest pain and even death.

"There has been an increase in the patients that have been coming in with referrals from internists just to pulmonologists in particular for breathing," said Dr. Sonali Sethi of St. Vincents Hospital. "

Smog gets worse with heat, and with summer just around the corner, expect a decrease in air quality and an increase in respiratory problems.

One New Yorker suggested for improvements, "More mass transit, more carpooling, less cars."

Los Angeles retains its title as most polluted city in the country -- but Pittsburgh has grabbed the distinction of "sootiest."

Numbers are based on air quality measurements reported to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Chancellor & Health Commissioner Community Letter on MRSA (Staph Infections)

If only the school bathrooms had soap...

THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Office of School Health

Michael R. Bloomberg
Mayor

Joel I. Klein
Chancellor Commissioner

Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
Department of Education Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene

Dear School Community Member:

If you have heard the recent news about drug-resistant Staph infections, you may be understandably concerned – especially after the recent, tragic death of a 12-year-old child in Brooklyn. We are writing to tell you what you can do to help keep your family healthy, and what the Health Department and Department of Education are doing about the problem.

Staph infections, even resistant Staph infections known as MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus), are very common, usually minor, and can be cured. More than 20% of healthy people have Staph bacteria on their skin and will never get any illness from them; less than 1% of healthy people carry MRSA. The most common symptoms, if any, are skin sores. Staph and MRSA infections can be spread by skin-to-skin contact with an open wound or by sharing personal items such as towels or razors. Although MRSA is resistant to some antibiotics, there are other antibiotics that can be used if treatment is necessary.

MRSA is a serious problem in hospitals, where it can spread rapidly. On the other hand, lifethreatening infections are extremely rare in our schools. Although hundreds of schoolchildren and staff develop these infections every year, very, very few develop serious complications. Spread of the infection within schools is rare and has been documented mainly among sports teams, e.g.wrestling, who have direct physical contact.

MRSA does not generally spread through a shared environment such as a classroom. It is not necessary to keep a student home from school, or to close the school, if a student has a Staph or MRSA infection. There is no health-based reason to disinfect a school building after a single case is diagnosed.

To reduce further risk, we are redoubling efforts to ensure that school bathrooms are equipped with soap and paper towels. We will also work to promote good hygiene in sports teams and locker rooms, and to increase education about hand-washing. We have also ensured that our cleaning procedures are effective against MRSA and other germs. When evidence suggests risk of spread within a school, the Health Department will notify your principal and work with the
school to address the issue.

Here are some things you and your children can do:

1. Keep hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

3. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and, during school activities, covered with a bandage.

4. Consult your doctor if you’re concerned about a skin infection that isn’t getting better.

Staph infections, even MRSA infections, are not a general health risk in schools. If you have questions, please contact your Parent Coordinator or 311.

Joel Klein, Chancellor, Department of Education

Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Commissioner, Health Department