Minnesota officials are mobilizing state workers to conduct unannounced site visits to more than 5,800 Medicaid providers statewide — including many serving St. Paul — in an accelerated push to strengthen oversight and protect federal funding.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services said 168 employees from multiple agencies will be temporarily reassigned to help complete provider revalidations in 13 high-risk service areas by this summer. Training begins in February, with inspections planned across all 87 counties.

Deputy Commissioner and State Medicaid Director John Connolly called the effort “a major step forward” to ensure providers meet legal and quality standards. The initiative comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has threatened to withhold more than $2 billion in annual Medicaid funding over program-integrity concerns — a move state officials are appealing.

For health providers, particularly those serving seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families, the reviews could bring increased scrutiny but are also intended to safeguard long-term funding for Medical Assistance.

Federal data released this month showed Minnesota’s Medicaid improper payment rate at about 2.1%, well below the national average of 6.1%, according to state officials.

Alongside site visits, Minnesota is expanding anti-fraud measures, including enhanced provider training, tighter oversight of managed care organizations and expanded use of analytics and artificial intelligence to flag suspicious claims before payment. Officials say a full pre-payment review system is expected by the end of the year.

The state has also launched a new public fact-check webpage aimed at countering misinformation about Medicaid fraud mn.gov/dhs/program-integrity.