(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds joined Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Department of Natural Resources Director Chuck Gipp today for the launch of www.CleanWaterIowa.org, a new website that will serve as a resource to help Iowans protect and improve water quality.

"Iowans can take steps to help improve Iowa's water quality and this site serves as a one-stop-shop for conservation practices we can all use, whether it is on the farm, at a business or by a homeowner," said Branstad.

The site has "Farm," "Residential & Urban," and "City & Industry" sections that provide information about science-based practices that can be implemented to improve water quality. The site includes descriptions of water quality practices that can be utilized, benefits of the practices, and links to additional information.

"This site is one of the resources available to help Iowans achieve the goals outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy," said Reynolds. "Working together and everyone doing their part will help us continue to make significant water quality improvements."

Success stories, information on upcoming events and education materials will also be available on the site. Iowans are also invited to share their water quality success stories as well.

"It is an exciting time and we are seeing a tremendous amount of interest in water quality practices from Iowans across the state," said Northey. "Farmers are engaged and we are in a scaling up phase as we get these science-based practices on more and more acres."

In addition to the website, Iowans can follow @CleanWaterIowa on Twitter or "like" the page on Facebook to receive updates and other information about the ongoing Iowa water quality initiative.

• Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME) says initiative exceeds savings targets by $18.5 million over three years 
• Innovative program targets fraud, abuse, errors across Medicaid programs, including personal care providers, in-home respite care, Medicaid-funded lawn-mowing and snow-removal abuses, inappropriate hospital charges, Medicaid/Medicare dual-eligible billing errors 

(Des Moines) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad announced today that an Iowa Medicaid initiative saved taxpayers $41 million in fiscal year 2013. That brings the total three-year savings of the program integrity effort to more than $86 million.

"The savings are six times greater than the overall cost of the program integrity contract, and $18.5 million above the savings target. That's very good news for taxpayers," said Branstad. "These savings help us provide better care for 400,000 Iowans in need, without reducing provider rates or trimming services."

The savings were achieved through a three-year, $14 million program integrity contract awarded to Optum of Eden Prairie, Minn. Optum, which manages most of the program integrity work for Iowa Medicaid Enterprise, will continue its program integrity efforts for FY 2014 in the first of two performance-based option years under the contract.

Iowa Medicaid Enterprise Director Jennifer Vermeer said savings under the program integrity contract include both "cost avoidance," which is money not spent because claims errors or fraudulent activities are caught in advance, and "recoveries," which refers to funds inappropriately billed to Medicaid that providers must repay.

A strong emphasis on avoidance is especially beneficial to Medicaid programs, since it is less costly than "chasing" inappropriately paid claims in an effort to recover funds.  Optum discovered inappropriate behavior by both providers and beneficiaries.

"We are pleased with the innovative approaches Optum has instituted," Vermeer said. "We've put those who deliberately seek to defraud the system on notice that we're using some very sophisticated techniques to thwart their efforts. For those who make mistakes or are misinformed, there's an educational component to the program that our Medicaid providers have found helpful."

The majority of the approximately 20,000 Medicaid providers bill appropriately and understand how the program works. But, Vermeer said the few who are fraudulent can cost taxpayers millions.

Some examples of potential fraud or inappropriate claims and payments that Optum analysts found include :

• Questionable In-home Respite Care Claims: Iowa Medicaid pays for some in-home non-medical services to families with disabled children, who can't be left alone, to give parents an opportunity to shop or run errands. Program integrity analysts found that some of these companies were billing for services not provided, submitting bills that show they were at two different households at the same time, or inflating the time they were at a household. In addition, parents sometimes had siblings or other relatives establish a "storefront day care center," and would bill Medicaid for in-home respite care through the company. Optum's work has resulted in a change in the law that now prevents billing through a day care center.

• Questionable Chore Claims: People who are eligible for Medicaid-paid nursing home care can sometimes remain in their homes with the help of various services, including chores such as lawn mowing and snow removal. Program integrity analysts found that some chore providers billed for snow removal on days it did not snow, or billed excessively for mild snowfall. In addition, analysts compared plot plans with lawn-mowing claims and discovered that often, providers would bill for far more hours than it would take to mow a small lawn. In one case, analysts found that one provider was submitting bills of $700 per month for lawn care at one single-family address.

• Questionable Durable Medical Equipment Claims: Generally, durable medical equipment, which includes items such as oxygen tank dispensers, home hospital beds, wheelchairs, etc. - are either purchased outright or rented by Medicaid, whichever is more cost-effective. In some cases, for example, a patient may require a wheelchair or a nebulizer for only a short period of time, and renting is more cost-effective than buying. Program integrity analysts found many instances of companies submitting rental claims long past when purchasing the item would be less expensive. In other cases, companies would submit rental claims even after Medicaid had already purchased the item from them, meaning they were receiving double payments.

• Questionable "Swing Bed" Claims: Critical access hospitals - defined as smaller, rural hospitals - at times keep injured or very sick patients in more expensive "swing bed" units, which can cost $4,000 per day, rather than moving them to lesser expensive care settings in the same hospital or to different facilities. For example, in several rehab cases, the level of care required could have been handled just as well in a nursing home setting, which costs Medicaid about $250 per day. Program integrity analysts focused on cases where patients were kept in "swing beds" for more than a year - generating up to $1.5 million in Medicaid bills - and found many cases of inappropriate billing by hospitals. The program's efforts resulted in a legislative change that now requires some prior authorization before patients are placed in swing beds.

In addition, Vermeer said there were other Medicaid fraud areas in which IME is collaborating with law enforcement officials, who are investigating based on information from Optum analysts. Steve Larsen, executive vice president of Optum Government Solutions, said Iowa's Medicaid program has become a national model in program integrity.

"The state shares our philosophy about payment accuracy - every taxpayer dollar must be properly spent, and every provider must be properly paid for the critical work they do," Larsen said.

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For more information:

Amy Lorentzen McCoy

Iowa Department of Human Services

515-281-4848

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, agriculture Sec. Bill Northey and DOT Director Paul Trombino today announced a new biofuels pilot program called "Fueling Our Future," a public-private partnership that aims to assist in expanding the market for mid-level biofuels blends, building on Iowa's history as a leader in ethanol and biodiesel development and production.

Through the use of current funding, this initiative will redirect federal funds to further leverage state dollars in the existing renewable fuel infrastructure program, establishing more blender pumps containing E-30 and biodiesel at gas retailers around the state.

"This pilot program will provide Iowans with additional access to higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel, which will help our farmers, communities and economy in producing, processing and profiting locally," said Branstad.

Iowa State University will work closely on this initiative to evaluate consumer perceptions and the impact of increased assess to mid-level biofuels blending options, including impacts on improved air quality.

"Iowa's success in biofuels is due to our abundant natural resources, the hard work that goes into its production, and the choice that consumers make in supporting locally-produced and renewable biofuels," said Reynolds. "I look forward to the installation of these new mid-level blender pumps at locations around Iowa next spring and am hopeful that neighboring states will take a similar approach."

The Fueling Our Future program will be supported by the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Department of Transportation, Iowa State University and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board.

"This initiative is a great example of coordination and collaboration between the DOT and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship," said Trombino. "Better leveraging resources from a variety of stakeholders in this public-private partnership will help increase market access to biofuels for Iowa consumers and further diversify our energy portfolio."

Northey highlighted the value-added component.

"Iowa has a robust biofuels industry that is an important value-add to our state's agricultural sector," said Northey. "Bolstering biofuels infrastructure will help Iowa consumers and farmers through increased access to these renewable fuels that are produced right here in Iowa."

More information on the program can be found at: www.iowaagriculture.gov/agMarketing/IRFIP.asp

 # # #

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today signed a proclamation establishing Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, as the special election date in Iowa Senate District 13, which became vacant following Sen. Kent Sorenson's resignation.

The proclamation's wording is below.

SPECIAL ELECTION PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, The Office of State Senator from the 13^th Senatorial District, consisting of the following areas:

A.    The twenty-fifth representative district shall consist of:

a.      The city of Bevington.

b.     Madison county.

c.      In Warren county:

i.     The cities of Milo and Norwalk.

ii.     Jackson, Otter, Squaw, Virginia, and White Oak townships, and that portion of Linn township not contained in the forty-second representative district.

B. The twenty-sixth representative district in Warren county shall consist of:

a.         The city of Indianola.

b.         Allen, Liberty, Lincoln, Palmyra, Richland, Union, and White Breast

townships, that portion of Belmont township lying outside the corporate limits of the city of Milo, that portion of Greenfield township lying outside the corporate limits of the city of Norwalk, and that portion of Jefferson township lying outside the corporate limits of the city of Norwalk, and that portion of Jefferson township lying outside the corporate limits of the city of Bevington.

has become vacant by the reason of the resignation of Senator Kent Sorenson.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Terry E. Branstad, Governor of the State of Iowa, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the law do hereby proclaim and direct that a special election to fill said vacancy shall be held within said District on

TUESDAY, THE 19^TH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2013, A.D.

WHEREFORE, all electors within said 13^th Senate District will take due notice and the County Commissioners of Elections of said counties will take official notice as provided in Iowa Code section 39.6, 2013.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I HAVE HERE­UNTO SUBSCRIBED MY NAME AND CAUSED THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF IOWA TO BE AFFIXED.  DONE AT DES MOINES THIS 7^TH DAY OF OCTOBER IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN.

__________________________________

TERRY E. BRANSTAD

GOVERNOR OF IOWA

ATTEST:

_________________________________

MATT SCHULTZ