CMS has announced that it has awarded the Region 5 Recovery Audit contract to Connolly, LLC (although the Government Accountability Office subsequently reported that a bid protest has been filed regarding this award). The purpose of this contract will be to identify improper Medicare payments for durable medical equipment (DME), orthotics, prosthetics, and supplies and home health/hospice (HH/H) claims and work with CMS and the DME and HH/H MACs to adjust claims to recoup overpayments and pay underpayments. CMS observes that this award marks the beginning of the new Recovery Audit contracts, and it is the first contract to incorporate a series of changes intended to reduce the provider burden and increase program transparency (e.g., ADR limits, RAC accuracy threshold).