April 21, 2016 6:31 PM

Cost of Medicaid fraud detection software has dropped from $20 million to zero

Inspector General Bowen also has consolidated data and technology, which was scattered across the agency and possibly a contributing factor to the 21CT scandal

The Health and Human Service Commission Inspector General’s office has replaced a controversial Medicaid fraud data analytics program with a statistical software package that cost the agency nothing.

The 21CT contracting scandal cost the state $20 million and took out Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek and a slew of HHSC employees, not the least of which was Inspector General Doug Wilson and Deputy Inspector General Jack Stick.

So it was surprising to hear new Inspector General Stuart Bowen say he had implemented RAT-STATS a 30-year-old software package offered for free by Health and Human Services that anyone can download. Medicaid integrity cases have dropped from 1,700 to just under 300 in just over a year, Bowen said.

By Kimberly Reeves