What is Puerto Rico Senior Medicare Patrol?
The Senior Medicare Patrol is a United States Department of Health and Human Services program, financed by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Since 2003, it exists in all the states and territories. The Hispanic-American Institute, Inc., began administering the program in Puerto Rico in 2018.
Our mission is to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect and report fraud, errors, and abuse in health care services through outreach, counseling, and education.
The Senior Medicare Patrol recruits and trains volunteers to carry out its mission. The volunteers perform, among other tasks, group education presentations about subjects such as:
Implications of fraud to your health and personal finances
Common types of fraud
How to protect your identity
Identify fraudulent practices
Report fraud, errors, and abuse
Join the Puerto Rico Senior Medicare Patrol (PR SMP)
I want to join the Puerto Rico Senior Medicare Patrol to:
History of the SMP
1995
(1985 - 2015)
Senador Tom Harkin Iowa
ORT - Operation Restore trust
Alianza entre AOA - Administration on Aging y HHS-CMS-OIG
1997
Omnibus Consolidated Appropriation Act (Public Law 104-208)
12 proyectos piloto
Diseñados para reclutar y adiestrar profesionales retirados para asistir a sus pares a prevenir, detectar y denunciar errores, fraude y abuso en los servicios de salud.
2003
SMP se convierte en un Programa Nacional
(50 estados + PR, DC, USVI y Guam
2019-2020
| Info | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Miembros Activos | 6,875 | 5,720 |
| Eventos Educativos | 28,146 | 9,870 |
| Sesiones Individuales | 320,000 | 249.134 |
| Personas Impactadas | 1.6M | 425,000 |
SMP History
1995
Senator Tom Harkin
Iowa (1985-2015)
ORT-Operation Restore Trust
An alliance between AOA – Administration
on Aging and HHS-CMS-OIG
1997
Omnibus Consolidated Appropriation Act
(Public Law 104-208)
Created to recruit and train retired professionals to assist their peers to prevent, detect, and report errors, fraud, and abuse in healthcare services
2003
SMP becomes a National Program
(50 states + PR, DC, USVI, and Guam)
2019 2020
| Info | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
|
Active Members |
6,875 |
5,720 |
|
Educational Events |
28,146 |
9,870 |
|
Individual Sessions |
320,000 |
249,134 |
|
Impacted Persons |
1.6M |
425,000 |
SMP Volunteers
Our volunteers give group education presentations that range from 5 to 30 minutes, using materials and scripts approved by the PR SMP. The presentations are intended for Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, family members, and the public, who are interested in learning about the program, and the national efforts to educate the Medicare beneficiaries in the prevention, detection, and report of fraud, errors, and abuse in the healthcare system. The PR SMP presentations include a session to answer questions about the information and the covered subjects. Groups education sessions can take place in:
Community centers and centers for older adults
Healthcare fairs and fairs for older adults
Educational events about Medicare
Civic organizations and faith-based group meetings
Healthcare providers’ meetings
Libraries
Universities and Community Colleges
The PR SMP presenters can identify other audiences and venues where the group education sessions can take place. We are seeking volunteers to serve across the Island, but mainly in the Arecibo, Mayaguez, Ponce, Humacao, and Fajardo regions.
News
Gallery
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Name
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Name
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Links
Livanta
(Quality Improvement Organization) | Calidad de Servicio
787-520-5743
Centro para Servicios
de Medicare y Medicaid (CMS)
1-800-633-4227 1-800-MEDICARE
Comisión Federal de Comercio
(Línea directa de robo de identidad)
1-877-438-4338
Oficina del Procurador de Personas de Edad Avanzada (OPPEA)
1-877-725-4300 787-721-6121
About Us
Ricardo A. Colón Padilla
Ricardo A. Colón Padilla was born in Ponce, PR and lived in Bayamón during his early years. He studied at the University of PR (Río Piedras Campus), where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Business Administration, with an Accounting Minor in 1994. That same year he was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Throughout his career, he held various managerial positions, including Finance Director of Hogares CREA, Inc, Deputy Executive Director of the PR Health Insurance Administration (PRHIA) and Executive Director of the Medicaid Program withing the PR Department of Health. He also worked many years as a managerial and accounting consultant for various governmental, private, and non-profit entities.
Currently, he is the Vice-President and member of the Board of Director of the Hispanic-American Institute, Inc, a private non-profit entity that offer services to the Hispanic population with offices in San Juan, PR, Boston, MA and Albuquerque, NM. He is the Director of the PR Senior Medicare Patrol, an educational program of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The mission of the program is to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their relatives, and caregivers to prevent, detect and report healthcare fraud, errors and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.
Ana Berta Vázquez-Martínez
Ana Berta Vázquez-Martínez was born in Aibonito, PR and lived all her childhood in Barranquitas, PR. She attended the University of Puerto Rico and Interamerican University. She has a Juris Doctorate from the Inter-American University School of Law. In January 1998, she was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In 1999, she was admitted to the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston.
She served as Legal Advisor for the WIC Program, and was the Director of Administration for the Medicaid Program, both administered by the Puerto Rico Department of Health.
She currently works for the Hispanic-American Institute, Inc., a private non-profit entity that serves the Hispanic population and has offices in San Juan, PR, Boston, MA, and Albuquerque, NM, as the Coordinator of Volunteers of the Puerto Rico Senior Medicare Patrol, an educational program of the Federal Department of Health. The mission of the program is to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect and report fraud, errors, and abuse in health services through outreach, counseling, and education.
Contact us
To request a group education for your community / To receive educational materials about fraud, errors, and abuse/ For questions about the Explanation of Benefits sent by your healthcare plan (EOB/MSN) / Other inquiries
33 Resolucion Street
The Corporate Center
San Juan, PR 00920-2758
787-523-0233
