Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Responds to Office of Inspector General’s Audit Findings

MADISON – On Wednesday, the Department of Health Service’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a press release claiming Medicaid overpayments to family planning clinics in Wisconsin. Communication with the media took place before OIG shared audit findings with any of the targeted health care providers, including Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Chris Williams, chief operating officer of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin issued the following statement in response to the audit:

“PPWI is extremely concerned about the motivations behind OIG’s decision to issue a press release about audit findings for family planning health centers without first communicating the results to the providers involved in the audit process. To solicit media coverage of any audit prior to the health care providers’ receipt of the audit findings and prior to an administrative review of the audits is unprecedented and taints the integrity of the entire process.

“PPWI and our family planning colleagues dispute that the audit findings have identified actual overpayments that should be returned to DHS. To be clear, there are no allegations of fraud, waste or abuse at issue in this audit. The findings hinge on a disagreement on the interpretation of various Medicaid policies—interpretations that are inconsistently applied among the providers audited and even among the different OIG auditors themselves. These inconsistencies are just one reason why the additional review of an administrative law judge is imperative. OIG is attempting to take back payments from PPWI and other women’s health partners for services already provided to eligible Medicaid enrollees for covered care.

“We have worked diligently to provide OIG with all of the documentation they have requested and we have provided extensive materials supporting the correct interpretation of Medicaid policies. PPWI is deeply concerned that this process has been politicized by OIG, and we question the integrity of these findings and this process.”

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is a nonprofit health care provider caring for 60,000 patients annually at 22 health centers. 97 percent of Planned Parenthood’s care is preventive health services including well woman exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings, birth control, HIV screening, and STD treatment.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.