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South Florida Cancer Control Collaborative meeting

August 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Boca Raton
Hospice by the Sea
Contact: Dorothy Parker, 305-243-1120

Seeking Solutions for Uninsured Children in Florida

August 21, 4-6 p.m., Miami
United Way of Miami-Dade
For details, call 305-576-5001 x32, or email 

Biomedical Research Advisory Council Meeting

August 26, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Orlando
Courtyard Marriott Downtown
For details, visit web site or, contact Hope Davis by email or at 816-347-9449

Agency for Health Care Administration Public Meeting (HIECC Committee)

Aug. 26, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., Tallahassee
For an agenda, visit the website

Sixth Annual Caribbean Health Summit

Sept. 6, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., Orlando
Central Florida Fairgrounds & Exposition Park
For details,call (407)648-9440, extension 10, 14 or 16, or visit website

Tobacco Education and Use Prevention Advisory Council Meeting

Sept. 8, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tallahassee
Department of Health
For details, visit the Council website

Board of Medicine Probable Cause Panel- South

September 12, 2 p.m.
Conference Call: (888) 808-6959
Code: 2454131
Contact:  Trisha L. Grubbs at (850) 245-4640, ext. 8145 or by e-mail.

Division of Medical Quality Assurance Public Meeting

Sept. 17, 8:30 a.m. – 12 Noon, Tallahassee
Betty Easley Conf. Center, Rm. 152
Contact:  Cassandra Pasley, (850) 245-4224

National Psychoneuroimmunology Conference

Sept. 18-21, Tampa
Saddlebrook Resort
Contact Susanna Martinez by email or at (813) 974-2776

Low Income Pool (LIP) Council Meeting

Sept. 19, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tampa
Tampa International Airport
Conference Call: 888-808-6959, Code: 4138067
Contact Edwin Stevens by email or at (850)414-2759 or visit the LIP web site

100 Ideas Foundation Statewide Policy Discussion on Autism & Developmental Disabilities

September 15-16, Orlando
Portofino Bay Hotel
For details, visit the web site

Dialogue on Health Across Cultures: A Workshop on Cultural Competency in Cancer Care for South Florida

September 20, Ft. Lauderdale
Nova Southeastern University
More info: MGonzalez16@med.miami.edu or 305-243-4821

Board of Medicine Probable Cause Panel- North

September 26, 2 p.m.
Conference Call: (888) 808-6959, Code: 2454131
Contact: Joyce Blackwell at (850) 245-4640, ext. 8142 or e-mail her

National Academy State Health Policy Conference

October 5-7,Tampa
Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina
Viist web site for details

Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Medicaid Reform in Florida: Year 2

October 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.,Tampa
Marriott Tampa Airport
Contact Jennifer Thompson by email or at 202-687-2471

CFO orders audit of Healthy Kids-WellCare transactions

7/25/2008 © Florida Health News
In the wake of WellCare Health Plans' admission that it owes $46.5 million to two state Medicaid programs, including Florida's, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink called for an independent audit of the Florida Healthy Kids Corp., one of the accounts that got short-changed. She chairs the Healthy Kids board.

“It is essential that we recover every last dime that WellCare owes the Florida Healthy Kids program,” Sink said in a prepared statement released Friday afternoon. “Today I’m calling for Healthy Kids to conduct an exhaustive and independent audit to ensure this program is made whole.”

The other program in Florida Medicaid that WellCare owes refunds to is Harmony Behavioral Health, which provides mental health and substance abuse treatment. Fernando Senra, spokesman for the Agency for Health Care Administration, said Friday that he would have to check next week to see what provisions AHCA has made for auditing those books.

Late Monday, when it admitted its "accounting errors" and lack of financial controls among former management, WellCare said it owed refunds to two state Medicaid programs, those in Illinois and to Florida. The refunds are due because Illinois Medicaid and two parts of Florida Medicaid -- Harmony and Healthy Kids -- require that health plans spend a certain percentage of the premium dollar on direct services to patients. The rules limit the percentage of the premium that can go to administrative expenses, marketing and profits; if the plans exceed that, they owe that money back to the state. WellCare has tried in recent years to persuade the Florida Legislature to lift the requirement.

The Tampa-based health plan has had a wholesale turnover in its management since it was raided by the FBI and state authorities in October. The company has not filed audited financial statements since then. The U.S. Attorney's Office is still investigating; the company faces lawsuits by stockholders and a whistleblower.

Regarding Sink's call for an audit, WellCare spokeswoman Amy Knapp said the company and its board "have cooperated in this matter and will continue to do so."