| Fraud Facts, News,

The Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) will give a short presentation on how Medicare beneficiaries can keep track of their health care information and help prevent fraud.
The presentation will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, at the Trails Regional Library, 432 N. Holden. It will be free and open to the public.
Participants will receive a free copy of the SMP Personal Health Care Journal, which helps seniors keep track of their health care information.
The journal has pages that help people keep track of appointments, providers, medications, blood pressure and other health data, as well as questions to be answered, preventive screenings covered, and services received.
Keeping records makes it easier for consumers to compare medical bills to explanations of benefits and Medicare Summary Notices. That practice is key to detecting and preventing Medicare fraud and abuse, which costs an estimated $60 billion annually, according to the National SMP Resource Center.
“These fraud estimates, which break down to about $6.8 million an hour, make beneficiaries essential in fighting Medicare fraud and abuse,” said Rona McNally, Director of the Missouri SMP. “We believe the Health Care Journal is a powerful tool for seniors.” This project is supported, in part by grant number 90-MP-0204 from the Administration on Aging, Department of Health & Human Services. To find out more, call the SMP at 888-515-6565