Medi-Cal Fraud Remains Untreatable

Re “State Hit Hard by Medical Fraud,” Dec. 26: As a practicing physician, I am not at all surprised by the estimate of 10% ($2.5 billion) of Medi-Cal fraud in California. In most average communities, only a relative handful of physicians see Medi-Cal patients. In order to be successful with Medi-Cal, large numbers of patients must be seen, with minimal amounts of time spent with each one. If Medi-Cal treated all physicians properly, most physicians would take it, and the likelihood of fraud would significantly decrease. However, for the average physician, Medi-Cal is a hopeless case because its payments are tiny, it is notorious for delays of six months or longer and its denial of payment can be for missing a period or for not putting a number in the center of a box. Nothing has changed with this $25-billion boondoggle for the last 20 years despite the election rhetoric every two to four years. It would take a dictator or a miracle to change the system.

Michael L. Friedman MD

Torrance