State Medicaid Programs Upped Lead Risks, HHS OIG Says (1)

Children in five states were placed at increased risk for lead exposure due to the missteps of local Medicaid programs, according to a Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General report released Tuesday.

California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas Medicaid program records for children diagnosed with lead toxicity lacked the information necessary to accurately confirm a diagnosis. The findings come as part of a report compiled by the HHS Office of Inspector General diving into the medical records of 625 Medicaid-enrolled children.

“Among children for whom there was sufficient medical record documentation to confirm their diagnosis, many ...