George Grob  /S/ 
Deputy Inspector General 
for Evaluation and Inspections 
Three Year and One Year Performance Data for the Senior Medicare Patrol Projects

(OEI-02-97-00527)

Edwin Walker, Director

Office of Program Operations and Development

Administration on Aging

At the request of the Administration on Aging (AoA), we have continued to collect

performance data from the 12 original Senior Medicare Patrol Projects and the 29 new Senior

Medicare Patrol Projects.  Attachment A presents performance data for the entire three years

of the original projects.  Attachment B presents performance data for the first year of the new

projects.  Please note these data are self-reported and we have not verified their accuracy.

Having just finished their three year grant period, the original 12 Senior Medicare Patrol

Projects have accomplished much in training and educating beneficiaries about fraud, waste,

and abuse.  They trained close to 12,000 trainers who later went on to educate about 198,000

beneficiaries.  They also reached an estimated 42 million through community education events

and the media.  These beneficiaries are trained to scrutinize their Medicare bills and summary

notices and to report potential errors to their medical care providers, Medicare insurance

contractors, or the Office of Inspector General (OIG) fraud hotline. 

In addition, these projects received 7,600 complaints through one-on-one counseling with

beneficiaries and through their own local hotlines.  Of the complaints that were investigated,

the projects helped identify a total of $1.5 million in Medicare funds for recoupment. 

However, projects were able to provide documentation of actual recoupment for only

$261,000.  It is important to note that the projects continue to have difficulty tracking such

recoupments.

As for the 29 new Senior Medicare Patrol Projects, they have made significant progress in the

past six months. The total number of trainers they have trained has more than doubled in the

past 6 months, from 934 to 2,463.  The total number of beneficiaries educated by these trainers

has tripled, from 22,267 to 65,139.  The complaints the projects have received and the money

identified for recoupment have also shown large increases.  Currently, the projects have

received 1,334 complaints and have identified $85,000 in Medicare funds for recoupment. 

However, projects have not been able to provide documentation of any actual recoupments.
 Page 2 - Edwin Walker, Director 
As a whole, the Senior Medicare Patrol Projects have trained 14,408 trainers and educated 
262,913 Medicare beneficiaries through sessions.  It should be noted that the most substantial 
savings which are expected to arise from projects under both of the above programs will be 
derived from a sentinel effect whereby fraud and error are reduced in light of Medicare 
beneficiaries' scrutiny of their bills.  Savings will also result from reports of fraud and error 
made to the Medicare contractors and to the OIG fraud hotline.  It is not feasible, however, to 
track these effects entirely. 
We will continue to monitor the projects and provide you with 40-month and 18-month 
performance data.  If you have any questions, please call me at (202) 619-0480 or have your 
staff call Jack Molnar at (212) 264-1998. 
Attachments  APPENDIX A 
Three Year Outcomes Reported by the Senior Medicare Patrol Projects

Activity  TOTAL  CA  HI  IA  IL  MD  MN  MO  NH  NY  PA  RI  WI 
OUTPUTS 
# training sessions  726  55  16  22  19  57  52  12  7  389  41  9  47 
# trainers trained  11,945  734  129  859  235  855  332  49  303  7,620  76  228  525 
# media events  2,325  147  67  366  74  137  293  49  735  167  41  113  136 
# community education events  2,255  0  42  85  110  513  301  100  113  594  264  30  103 
OUTCOMES 
total # trainers who have ever  3,245  236  45  DK  235  16  92  49  20  2,362  50  23  117 
conducted activities 
# group sessions  4,439  802  126  439  1,070  35  348  84  318  466  343  193  215 
# beneficiaries at group sessions  183,529  41,108  5,512  16,174  39,668  5,200  7,543  3,501  5,724  19,894  28,590  4,101  6,514 
# one-on-one sessions  14,245  564  0  112  422  2,799  350  1,130  6,006  2,384  375  DK  103 
total # beneficiaries educated  197,774  41,672  5512  16,286  40,090  7,999  7,893  4,631  11,730  22,278  28,965  4,101  6,617 
estimated # people reached by media  33,356,284  4,876,510  271,183  1,000,000  10,424,000  195,000  195,648  140,000  950,000  663,108  2,030,000  7,548,300  5,062,535 
events 
estimated # people reached by  8,496,421  0  2,578  11,646  6,675  33,725  13,411  140,000  15,003  239,436  8,005,000  13,593  15,354 
community education events 
# complaints received  7,611  564  19  725  195  625  185  17  4,688  183  310  28  72 
# complaints referred for follow-up  1,033  146  3  298  73  137  106  15  41  56  88  27  43 
# complaints resulting in some action  266  27  0  22  DK  98  26  DK  14  37  24  DK  18 
Medicare $ recouped  1,522,725  113,722  0  *  DK  DK   *  DK  0  3,008  144,164  DK * 
1,145,767  109,997 6,067 
Other $ recouped  626,923  34,000  0  58,691  146,485  DK  15,805  177,724  180,075  0  DK  DK  14,143 
Total $ recouped  2,149,648  147,722  0  1,204,458  146,485  DK  125,802  177,724  180,075  3,008  144,164  DK  20,210 
Please note the following:

--New York is also a HIPAA-funded Project grantee.

* Pending documentation of actual recoupments  One Year Outcome Reported by New Senior Medicare Patrol Projects

APPENDIX B 
Activity  TOTAL  AK  AL  AR  AZ  CO  CT  DC 1  DC2   DE  FL  GA3   GA4   ID  IN
OUTPUTS 
# training sessions  288  38  7  1  6  14  1  7  0  4  3  4  8  9  0 
# trainers trained  2,463  42  101  12  8  131  6  29  0  36  31  40  102  23  0 
# media events  1,264  28  11  2  3  11  14  7  0  791  23  0  2  2  0 
# community education events  1,020  33  24  46  42  18  0  13  14  26  38  1  29  28  0 
OUTCOMES 
total # trainers who have ever  504  35  18  2  8  16  6  7  0  16  7  40  33  13  0 
conducted activities 
# group sessions  1,225  5  12  5  21  152  32  18  0  33  4  32  87  37  0 
# beneficiaries at group sessions  54,111  141  625  185  5,981  5,618  2,500  639  0  769  51  1,371  2,971  647  0 
# one-on-one sessions  11,028  996  89  DK  4  52  0  8  0  2  77  0  2  31  0 
total # beneficiaries educated  65,139  1,137  714  185  5,985  5,670  2,500  647  0  771  128  1,371  2,973  678  0 
estimated # people reached by media  11,776,346  80,000  100,450  40,000  22,000  420,098  161,500  55,000  0  106,988  1,262,589  0  20,000  450  0 
events 
estimated # people reached by  90,646  1,500  1,920  2,950  8,655  2,220  0  2,275  412  3,552  7,398  60  3,002  1,122  0 
community education events 
# complaints received  1,334  321  22  1  281  21  10  30  0  36  14  0  0  114  0 
# complaints referred for follow-up  448  2  17  1  15  5  10  7  0  2  7  0  0  76  0 
# complaints resulting in some action  195  0  2  0  DK  DK  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  28  0 
Medicare $ recouped  85,225  0  0  0  DK  DK  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  *  0
10,970 
Other $ recouped  25,170  9,887  0  0  DK  DK  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0 
Total $ recouped  110,395  9,887  0  0  DK  DK  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  10,970  0 
Please note the following: 
 The new Senior Medicare Patrol Projects in AZ, OR, and VA are also HIPAA-funded Project grantees. 
Please note these distinctions: 
1. The AARP Foundation, DC  2. Friendship House, DC  3. Atlanta Regional Commission, GA  4. Department of Human Resources, GA 
* Pending documentation of actual recoupments  One Year Outcome Reported by New Senior Medicare Patrol Projects

APPENDIX B 
Activity  MA  ME  M I  MT  NM  NV  OH  OK  OR  PR  TX5   TX6   UT  VA  WA
OUTPUTS 
# training sessions  18  10  17  2  2  23  2  1  11  6  6  12  5  11  60 
# trainers trained  108  59  231  15  50  30  63  12  61  50  102  36  39  208  838 
# media events  101  19  3  11  19  20  37  2  26  12  4  20  3  76  17 
# community education events  43  48  2  34  31  15  43  25  10  300  12  57  8  78  2 
OUTCOMES 
total # trainers who have ever  24  11  18  0  9  8  41  3  27  3  20  22  5  73  39 
conducted activities 
# group sessions  73  8  43  0  7  13  84  1  28  0  7  50  15  195  263 
# beneficiaries at group sessions  2,194  481  2,873  0  210  450  3,062  1,168  538  0  510  1,163  350  5,540  14,074 
# one-on-one sessions  1,283  8  0  0  23  12  196  0  21  5  0  137  42  0  8,040 
total # beneficiaries educated  3,477  489  2,873  0  233  462  3,258  1,168  559  5  510  1,300  392  5,540  22,114 
estimated # people reached by media  137,000  546,700  1,100  22,760  168,000  3,110,332  1,004,987  20,100  1,406,250  650,000  500,000  1,025,000  1,700  901,932  11,410 
events 
estimated # people reached by  370  3,511  150  849  9,312  1,370  4,990  2,077  5,294  4,000  1,500  2,336  2,400  17,271  150 
community education events 
# complaints received  5  11  105  0  24  38  6  0  1  150  0  35  0  90  19 
# complaints referred for follow-up  1  7  41  0  7  7  1  0  1  150  0  8  0  71  12 
# complaints resulting in some action  DK  0  DK  0  7  2  0  0  1  140  0  2  0  DK  12 
Medicare $ recouped  DK  0  *  0   *   *  0  0  DK  DK  0  0  0  DK * 
17,269  4,927 787 51,272 
Other $ recouped  8,626  0  2,466  0  382  3,723  0  0  DK  DK  0  86  0  DK  0 
Total $ recouped  8,626  0  19,735  0  5,309  4,510  0  0  DK  DK  0  86  0  DK  51,272 
Please note the following:

-- The new Senior Medicare Patrol Projects in AZ, OR, and VA are also HIPAA-funded Project grantees. 

Please note these distinctions:

5. Baylor University, TX  6. The National Hispanic Council on Aging, TX 
*
Pending documentation of actual recoupments