Maddox proposes medical crime unit

The attorney general candidate's new agency would pursue everything from drug overpricing to substandard care.

By ALISA ULFERTS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 18, 2002

TALLAHASSEE -- Scott Maddox, current Tallahassee mayor and a Democratic candidate for attorney general, unveiled a proposal Wednesday to create a one-stop center for Floridians to report cases of medical malfeasance ranging from Medicaid fraud to improper marketing by drugstores.

Maddox, 34, said he wants to hire a statewide medical crimes investigator who would oversee the state's first Medical Crimes Task Force. It would include representatives from the several state agencies that deal with medical crime issues, such as the Agency for Health Care Administration.

The task force would investigate medical-related discrimination and victimization, particularly involving elders and minorities.

"There is no sense among the general population that the state is actively protecting our residents from the sharks that prey on our sick and elderly citizens," Maddox said. "I will provide a place for them to go with their concerns and a person who will investigate on their behalf."

Because many of the people who would work with the task force already work for the state, Maddox said he expects the cost of his proposal to be minimal.

A cornerstone of Maddox's proposal is building a central database of complaints of everything from overcharging for prescriptions to providing substandard care.

Different state agencies already catalog those complaints but don't automatically share the information, which prevents the state from identifying patterns of medical crime, Maddox said.

Sen. Burt Saunders, chairman of the Senate Health, Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, said he would be happy to consider sponsoring some of the legislation Maddox would need for his proposal, but added that the state has done much in recent years to beef up prosecution of medical crimes.

"This is nothing new that's being proposed. But we can always improve the way we do things," the Naples Republican said.

Maddox is one of three Democrats hoping to win the Sept. 10 primary. Orlando state Sen. Buddy Dyer and Deputy Attorney General George Sheldon are the others.

Three Republicans -- Ormond Beach state Sen. Locke Burt, Education Commissioner Charlie Crist and Solicitor General Tom Warner -- are competing in their primary.

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