Other GAO Developments

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report, “Nursing Home Quality: CMS Should Continue to Improve Data and Oversight,” examining changes in reported nursing home quality and related CMS oversight activities. According to the GAO, three nursing home data sets—standard survey deficiencies, reported staffing levels, and clinical quality measures—indicate potential improvement in nursing home quality, with the number of serious deficiencies identified per home decreasing by 41% from 2005 to 2014. Conversely, the GAO points out that consumer complaints reported per nursing home increased by 21% during the same period. The GAO contends that various data issues, such as state variations in the recording of consumer complaints and the self-reported nature of nurse staffing and quality measure data, make it difficult for CMS to assess quality trends. The GAO also discusses several modifications CMS has made to its nursing home oversight activities in recent years, such as changes to Special Focus Facility program, but observes that CMS has not monitored the potential effect of these modifications or changes in state survey agency practices on nursing home quality oversight.
Continue Reading GAO Recommends Improved CMS Nursing Home Quality Oversight

According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, bonuses and penalties triggered by the Medicare Hospital Value-based Purchasing (HVBP) program have had no apparent impact on quality measure performance trends to date. The HVBP program, which was established by the Affordable Care Act, adjusts inpatient hospital payments based on individual hospital performance on designated…

On September 30, 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled “Medicare: Considerations for Expansion of the Appropriate Use Criteria Program.”  In addition to describing CMS’s plans for implementing the imaging Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) program, the GAO provides examples of non-imaging services deemed “questionable- or low-value” by researchers and for…

In light of continuing indicators of potential prescription-medication fraud and abuse in state Medicaid programs, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reviewed federal and state pharmacy-related policies and processes to prevent and detect such abuses. The GAO identified two potential controls that are not included in CMS’s current reporting requirements: (1) lock-in programs for noncontrolled…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report examining the extent to which CMS’s enrollment screening procedures are designed and implemented to prevent enrollment of ineligible or potentially fraudulent Medicare providers. The GAO identified weaknesses in CMS’s verification of provider practice location and physician licensure status that have allowed potentially ineligible providers and suppliers…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report examining financial and other characteristics of hospitals that participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, focusing on disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) that account for the majority of 340B Program discount drug purchases.  Based on a review of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) data for 2008…

A recent GAO review of Medicaid claims in four selected states (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and New Jersey) discovered that thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries and hundreds of providers were involved in potentially improper or fraudulent payments during FY 2011. Such potentially improper payments involved, among other things, beneficiaries concurrently receiving benefits paid by two or more…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report pointing out potential shortcomings in the data and process used by CMS to establish the relative values (and consequently the reimbursement levels) for Medicare physician services. In particular, the GAO expresses concern that the American Medical Association/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) process for…

A recent GAO report examined expenditure authorities in “section 1115” demonstrations approved by HHS between June 2012 and October 2013. Section 1115 of the Social Security Act gives HHS broad authority to approve “expenditure authorities” that allow states to receive federal funds for costs that would not otherwise be matchable under Medicaid if the Secretary…

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, “Medicare: Payment Methods for Certain Cancer Hospitals Should Be Revised to Promote Efficiency,” examines the Medicare reimbursement methodology for cancer hospitals exempt from the acute inpatient prospective payment systems (PPS). The GAO determined that Medicare payments were substantially higher at PPS-exempt cancer hospitals (PCHs) in 2012…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report examining the extent to which antipsychotic drugs are prescribed for older adults with dementia in nursing homes and other settings. The GAO found that, according to Medicare Part D data, about one-third of older adults with dementia who spent more than 100 days in a nursing…

Based on a review of 10 state Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS) used to process claims and support program integrity efforts, the GAO has concluded that the effectiveness of these systems is not known because CMS does not require states to measure results related to detecting and preventing improper payments. The GAO therefore recommends that…

According to a recent GAO report, CMS has taken numerous steps to prepare industry for the October 1, 2015 transition to ICD-10 codes, such as developing checklists, timelines, and other educational materials and hosting training sessions for Medicare providers. CMS also has monitored covered entity and vendor readiness through stakeholder collaboration meetings, focus group…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released its latest update to its “High-Risk Series” reports, which again lists Medicare as a high-risk program, in part because of the program’s substantial size and scope, and its wide-ranging effects on beneficiaries, the health care industry, and the U.S. economy. The latest report highlights five areas of particular concern to the GAO: 

  1. Payments and provider incentives in original Medicare (specifically referencing physician feedback reports, physician self-referral policy, high-expenditure Part B drugs, end stage renal disease (ESRD) bundled payments, and low-volume payment adjustments for dialysis facilities);
  2. Medicare Advantage (MA) and other Medicare health plans (including concerns about MA plan payment adjustments and excess payments to Special Needs Plans);
  3. Program design effects on beneficiaries (addressing coordination for dual-eligible beneficiaries, dual-eligible special needs plans, and access to preventive services);
  4. Program management (including implementation of durable medical equipment competitive bidding and oversight of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts); and
  5. Oversight of patient care and safety (including the use of clinical data registries and oversight of vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs)).

The GAO makes a series of recommendations to Congress and CMS to address program risks. Specifically, GAO recommends that Congress consider directing the HHS Secretary to require providers who self-refer intensity-modulated radiation therapy services to disclose to their patients that they have a financial interest in the service. The GAO also recommends that Congress better align Medicare beneficiary cost-sharing requirements with U.S. Preventive Task Force recommendations.

Specific recommendations for CMS include:Continue Reading GAO Highlights Medicare Program Risks and Recommends Program Integrity Actions

On January 28, 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled “Private Health Insurance: Geographic Variation in Spending for Certain High-Cost Procedures Driven by Inpatient Prices.” In the report, the GAO examines: (1) how spending per episode of care for certain high-cost procedures varies across geographic areas for private payers, and…

The GAO has issued a report, “Group Purchasing Organizations: Funding Structure has Potential Implications for Medicare Costs,” that examines the effects of group purchasing organization (GPO) contracting practices and their funding structure. The five GPOs in GAO’s review reported being predominately funded by administrative fees collected from vendors (totaling $2.3 billion in 2012),…