Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) sharply criticized quality improvement organizations (QIOs) in a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

He called Medicare’s system for investigating complaints “broken” and said they provide “no benefit to improving the overall quality” of care for Medicare beneficiaries. His committee began investigating corruption in QIOs in August of last year following a news report that trustees spent lavishly on trips to expensive retreats. QIOs investigate complaints at nursing homes and hospitals and also have the responsibility of improving care.

Meanwhile, the American Health Quality Association, which represents QIOS, asked Congress to pass legislation to create a Medicare Accountability Program that would take the place of the current beneficiary complaint process. The changes would reduce the time needed for QIOs to investigate beneficiary complaints, the AHQA said.