WASHINGTON - Today, Republican oversight leaders in the Senate and House sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt asking for information on the agency’s plans to update its Fraud Prevention System (FPS), a program that uses predictive analytics and other technology to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program. The letter was signed by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.).
“The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has estimated that improper payments associated with Medicare and Medicaid have increased significantly in recent years, totaling roughly $77.4 billion in FY 2014," the lawmakers wrote. “Given the magnitude of these improper payments, in addition to the fraud and abuse identified in both programs, our Committees have followed the progress of the Fraud Prevention System (FPS) investment at CMS with great interest. FPS was created under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, which requires CMS to use predictive analytics and other technology to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program. While FPS has successfully used this technology to identify fraud and improper payments, much more needs to be done."
The text of the letter is below and a signed copy can be found here.
