Incident management tools prevent financial abuse of HCBS program members.
by Craig Steffen, Chief Executive Officer, FEI Systems
We expect those who provide home and community-based care and services to be kindhearted, trustworthy and dedicated to improving the lives of those entrusted to their care. In most cases, they are. But unfortunately, far more often than we’d like to think, trust is wielded as a powerful and manipulative tool used to take advantage of those unable to protect or advocate for themselves. As the CEO of an organization committed to supporting our partners in their tireless efforts to provide quality health and human services to vulnerable populations, I am especially troubled by the rise in theft, fraud and financial exploitation effecting aging and disabled individuals enrolled in Medicaid waiver programs.
According to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), 90 percent of instances of theft or financial exploitation of adults 65 or older are done at the hands of a family member or close friend. NAPSA further estimates one in 20 older adults are exploited by caregivers each year, with roughly 2.2 percent of the incidents reported to authorities.
Financial abuse can take many forms and range from the simple pocketing of change after running an errand, to convincing someone to hand over financial power of attorney. According to the Special Needs Alliance, if a victim of financial exploitation has a cognitive or physical disability, they may lack the resources to defend themselves, or worse, fear that if their suspicions were raised no one would believe them anyway.
Victims of financial abuse may lose all ability to provide for themselves and their care, a particularly cruel fate for those in their golden years. For those with disabilities who are unable to work to make up for the lost income, they may be forced to leave their homes for institutional care. And when I think about the populations served by our state partners – individuals receiving home- and community-based services for a physical or mental impairment or traumatic brain injury – it’s truly heartbreaking. Those Medicaid waiver program beneficiaries are seeking a comfortable life in their homes, and if they are victimized by a trusted caregiver in these ways, they could lose everything.
At FEI Systems, we provide innovative health information technology solutions that support the barrier-free delivery of health and human services. Our teams are committed to improving the lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities by providing enterprise solutions for agencies administering vital Medicaid waiver programs individuals need to live and thrive outside of an institutional setting.
An important part of our work is providing the tools agencies need to report and investigate critical incidents of abuse, neglect or exploitation of program participants. Our critical incident management solutions support agencies in every step of the incident management process, from reporting to resolution. Our focus remains on helping our state partners keep their program participants safe, healthy and supported wherever they seek to live.
The data I’ve shared about financial exploitation is just part of a much larger story about the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults. To dive deeper into this issue, I invite you to download our recent white paper on this topic. There is no easy solution to protecting vulnerable populations from financial exploitation, but as more become aware of the problem, we can work together to ensure people can rest easy, and safely, at home.
