Grassley rips CMS Medicare contractors for inappropriate payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services needs to have more oversight of Medicare contractors, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) recently argued.

In an Oct. 7 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Grassley reiterated his concerns over lax accountability for Medicare contractors. The contractors' poor performance has resulted in millions of dollars in inappropriate Medicare payments over the last few years, Grassley wrote. Grassley serves as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over the Medicare Program.

Grassley's letter detailed the OIG's discovery of $4.7 million in improper payments to providers in 2009, including $260,381 in improper payments to skilled nursing facilities. He also requested details of CMS actions against problem contractors, and asked CMS if it requires more authority to hold contractors accountable. Grassley's letter is available online on his Senate web page.