I am not saying there is fraud, just that something seems odd. Becket Academy Inc., Becket Family Services, and New Treks are listed as foreign nonprofit corporations based in Orford, NH (via a PO Box). See also, LIFECONNECTIONS SPECIALIZED SUPPORT SERVICES (Active). “community-based residential, day, and behavioral health services to youth and adults.”
A Second DBA or trade name is listed as MOOSILAUKE COUNSELING SOLUTIONS (inactive).
Becket’s business, based on the reimbursements below include childcare, foster care, and related training and services.
Also,
A school and residential treatment facility for children and troubled youth, as well as group shared living homes for developmentally disabled adults and other adults with mental health impairments. The academy covers the tuition, room, board, and related expenses of operating these facilities along with related ancillary programs. It is located in Orford, NH.
The name has been around for a while, and I did not dig into that history because what I thought was interesting, and I accept that I may be misreading this data, is that in July of 2023, their Medicaid provider claims swelled, hockey stick style.
Monthly reimbursements jumped.
The other thing I noticed, and again, I may be misreading this or viewing it the wrong way (this is verymuch outside my wheelhouse), is that their cost per claim in the period for the data available appears significantly higher than the state or national average.
The data is from DHHS open data, filtered by the enterprising individual who created this website to simplify how we see it.
Again (apologies for all the CYA), but I am not alleging anything but what can be seen here.
Looks like they charge a lot more than the state or federal average.
Also, for reference, according to Open GOV US,
BECKET ACADEMY, INC. (doing business as NEW TREKS) is an entity in Orford, New Hampshire registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) of U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The entity was registered on June 14, 2022 with Unique Entity ID (UEI) #NPBTVHZQ2P65, activated on June 20, 2023, expiring on June 15, 2024, and the business was started on January 1, 1964. The registered business location is at 633 Nh Route 10, Orford, NH 03777-4109. The current status is Expired. The entity structure is 8H – Corporate Entity (Tax Exempt) – . The business types are A8 – Non-Profit Organization. The officers of the entity include Andrew Hartman.
The entity was registered on June 14, 2022, with Unique Entity ID (UEI) #NPBTVHZQ2P65, activated on June 20, 2023
And in July of 2023, we see a spike in total reimbursements. It may well be legitimate, but it was curious.
According to the NH SOS, Becket Academy is in good standing. There are loads of “principals,” listed with addresses in Hanover and Lebanon, and I didn’t dig into them, but that sounds like Dartmouth crossover, none of which answers the question of why the charges are so high above average.
If this can be read at face value, why does Becket Academy charge so much more per claim for reimbursement from Medicaid than the state or national average?
Or maybe, why are taxpayers paying that much more, given it is a taxpayer handout for services that look, at least on paper, again – I contend that I may just be reading this wrong and there’s nothing there – significantly more expensive than we ought to be paying.
Maybe someone has an above-board explanation, and given the current rash of Medicaid fraud scandals, if and when I have time, I’ll try to find one. Or maybe it’s the other thing.
Crowdsourcing is encouraged.
