Pennsylvania Senior Medicare Patrol (PA-SMP) at CARIE
Empowering Seniors to Prevent Health Care Fraud
Who we are:
The Pennsylvania Senior Medicare Patrol (PA-SMP) is part of a national, volunteer driven Medicare Fraud prevention program. The Administration on Aging (AoA), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, developed the SMP program to help consumers understand more about health care fraud. Retired Medicare beneficiaries teach other Medicare beneficiaries about health care fraud and what they can do about it.
CARIE, The Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the well-being, rights, and autonomy of older adults, began the PA-SMP in 1997. Through partnerships with AARP, APPRISE (PA’s health insurance counseling program), and RSVP, the PA-SMP has informed thousands about fraud prevention across Pennsylvania.
What we do:
Our trained volunteers go out into the community and give Medicare fraud prevention presentations to groups of their peers. Volunteers also distribute fraud prevention information at senior expos and health fairs. The message is simple, yet important: Protect, Detect, Report:
Protect your personal information- Know how to Detect Fraud
- Know how and where to Report Fraud
While SMP volunteers educate beneficiaries throughout the state, SMP staff work to resolve and/or refer reported cases of suspected fraud.
The impact we’re making:
- In Pennsylvania:
- Since the project began in 1997, over 100 PA-SMP volunteers have directly educated more than 100,000 people through 1,700 presentations and community events.
- The PA-SMP currently has 70 active volunteers in 25 counties throughout the Commonwealth spreading the message about fraud prevention.
- Nationally:
- Over $105.72 million has been reported as savings attributable to the SMP program since 1997.
- The SMP Program was recently awarded the 2010 Excellence in Public Awareness Award from the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA). The program was recognized "for its important work of informing our nation's seniors about the dangers of Medicare fraud,", and for its measurable outcomes.
To learn more about the Pennsylvania Senior Medicare Patrol, please visit us at www.carie.org/smp, or on Facebook www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniasmp. To learn more about the national Senior Medicare Patrol program, please visit the SMP Resource Center at www.smpresource.org.
PA-SMP volunteers are available to speak to your group about Medicare Fraud. If you would like to schedule a free presentation, or, if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Sue Anthony at 412-464-1300. If you would like to report suspected fraud, please call CARIE at 1-800-356-3606.
For more information, contact us at:
Pennsylvania Senior Medicare Patrol at CARIE
100 S. Broad St. Suite 1500
Philadelphia, PA 19110
Phone: 800-356-3606
Email: Pennsylvania Senior Medicare Patrol at CARIE
Website: www.carie.org/smp
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniasmp