HHS watchdog concludes Michigan did not properly handle health care in foster system

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General has concluded that Michigan failed to comply with its own state requirements for properly documenting certain medical treatments for children in the foster care system.

The report indicated that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not always properly document the prescription of psychotropic and opioid medications to foster children.

Specifically, it highlighted that 18 of the 115 sampled children who were prescribed psychotropic or opioid medications did not have required medical passports in their electronic case records. Moreover, 14 of the 85 who just received psychotropic medications did not have consent forms in their records. Sixty children in the sample had no record of their opioid prescriptions at all.

The watchdog recommended that the state overhaul its monitoring procedures for caseworkers to ensure proper documentation of the foster children's medical histories, changing policies to outline the necessity or optional nature of consent forms in non-emergency situations, and monitoring Medicaid claim data for opioid prescriptions.

The HHS IG observed that the state largely concurred with its recommendations and has taken steps to address the watchdog's concerns.

"We commend Michigan for the actions it has taken and plans to take to address our recommendations," the report read.

Ben Whedon is a reporter and editor at Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.