WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee leaders today sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding a backlog of recommendations issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that date back to almost 30 years. The letter was signed by full committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX).
The unimplemented recommendations are for Medicare Parts A and B, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid.
“While we are concerned about this backlog of unimplemented recommendations, we believe there is a path forward to address this issue," write Chairmen Walden, Murphy, and Burgess. “The start of your term as CMS Administrator provides a tremendous opportunity to bring results-oriented management and accountability to CMS. In that spirit, and in consultation with the HHS OIG, attached is a list of 12 HHS OIG unimplemented recommendations made to CMS in a variety of prior HHS OIG reports on Medicare and Medicaid. We believe that implementing these recommendations-all of which appear to be low cost and uncontested by CMS-within a year is an achievable goal."
The letter also asks CMS to prioritize the top 25 unimplemented recommendations, as compiled by the OIG.
“These top unimplemented recommendations have been identified by OIG as ones that would most positively impact HHS programs in terms of cost savings and/or quality improvements. CMS should also prioritize progress on these recommendations," the leaders added.
