Sen. Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Committee on Finance, issued the following comment regarding the report released this afternoon by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The report responded to a study by the Institute of Medicine on improving the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization program.
“I appreciate that Medicare officials met their obligation to deliver this report. The agency’s perspective needs to be part of discussions about the future of this program.
“Those discussions also need to address whether the current design of the program is even capable of improving the quality of Medicare services. And, they need to address the controversial activities of some Quality Improvement Organizations. News reports have documented abusive spending and examples of Medicare resources being wasted. The Inspector General is conducting a necessary audit of those allegations.
“Improving the quality of health care services provided to Medicare beneficiaries is an important job. The question is, are Quality Improvement Organizations about make-work, or can they make a difference?"
Source: Ranking Member’s News
