Senior Medicare Patrol Outreach & Education Intern

Project Title:  Senior Medicare Patrol Outreach and Education Intern  

LMPHW Division:  Population Health 

Concentration area(s):  Gerontology, Community and Public Health Practice, Grant Management 

LMPHW Advisor:  Michelle List 

Project Supervisor: Michelle List, Katie Deno, and Miranda Mason 

Project Description:  The Kentucky Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program is dedicated to empowering and supporting Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers in the prevention, detection, and reporting of healthcare fraud, errors, and abuse. The KY SMP offers services across all 120 counties in Kentucky, both rural and urban. This project will deliver a comprehensive overview of the KY SMP program, encompassing grant administration, reporting processes, partnership development, outreach and educational initiatives, volunteer coordination, and healthcare fraud prevention efforts.  

Goals/Objectives of Project:   

Through educational and outreach efforts, increase the knowledge and confidence of beneficiaries to identify, prevent, and report healthcare fraud, errors, and abuse.  

Objective 1.1: Expand educational initiatives. Deliver an additional 10 group outreach and educational sessions from CY 2025 goal (50) from January – May for the Louisville coverage area to inform beneficiaries about healthcare fraud prevention.  

Objective 1.2: Evaluate educational sessions. Research effective learning techniques for older adults. Implement those techniques in presentations and compare results with standard SMP presentations. 

Broaden the reach of the KY SMP program by enhancing the program's visibility and accessibility to effectively serve both rural and urban areas across the commonwealth. 

Objective 2.1: Prioritize and expand geographic presence beyond Louisville. Schedule and conduct meetings with the four Area Agencies on Aging within the Louisville SMP service area to discuss the mission of SMP and identify opportunities for alignment with their ongoing initiatives.   

Work closely with staff to cultivate additional strategic partnerships.  

Objective 3.1: Establish new partnerships. Work with staff to secure a minimum of 5 new formal partnerships with local community organizations, healthcare providers, or senior centers within 6 months to expand program outreach. 

Objective 3.2 Work with Lexington AARP to promote Medicare Fraud Prevention Week. Plan and organize event at Lexington Senior Center. 

Required Skills:  

Strong communication and interpersonal skills 

Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups 

Capacity to work independently and as part of a team 

Qualitative research experience 

Preferred Skills:   

Experience in community outreach 

Knowledge and interest working with older adults and health care 

Strong organizational and time management skills 

Program evaluation experience 

Event planning experience 

Number of students (min/max): 1

Estimated project duration: (3 months or 6 months)  (All projects are 15 hours per week) 

Reporting To: Michelle List 

Working On-Site or Remotely: Hybrid with some travel