Reviews the Health Care Fin Admin's. (HCFA) efforts to enhance the measurement of improper payments in the Medicare fee-for-service program. Identifies structural problems that exist in the Medicare claims processing system which contribute to vulnerabilities resulting in erroneous Medicare payments. Focuses on: what HCFA proposals have been designed or initiated to measure Medicare improper payments; & the status of these proposals & initiatives & how they will enhance HCFA's ability to comprehensively measure improper Medicare payments & the frequency of kickbacks, false claims, & other inappropriate provider practices. Tables.

Medicare spending on home health totaled $12.9 billion in 2006, up 44% from 2002. Concerns have been raised that improper payments from practices indicating fraud and abuse may have contributed to Medicare home health spending and utilization. This report examines the growth in Medicare home health spending and utilization and the benefit's vulnerability to improper payments. The report focused on states with the highest growth in Medicare home health spending or utilization; fraudulent and abusive practices contributing to recent spending and utilization; and administrative issues that make it vulnerable to improper payments. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

Medicare¿s size and complexity make it vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse. Fraud represents intentional acts of deception with knowledge that the action or representation could result in an inappropriate gain, while abuse represents actions inconsistent with acceptable bus. or med. practices. Waste, which includes inaccurate payments for services, also occurs in the Medicare program. In 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated billions of dollars in improper payments in the Medicare program. This statement focuses on challenges facing CMS and selected key strategies that are particularly important to helping prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, and ultimately to reducing improper payments. Illustrations.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) -- the agency that administers Medicare -- estimated that the program made about $700 million in improper payments for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, & supplies (DMEPOS) from April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2006. To protect Medicare from improper DMEPOS payments, CMS relies on 3 Program Safeguard Contractors (PSC), & 4 contractors that process Medicare claims, to conduct critical program integrity activities. This report examines CMS¿s & CMS¿ contractors¿ activities to prevent & minimize improper payments for DMEPOS, & describe CMS¿s oversight of PSC program integrity activities. Includes GAO recommendations. Charts & tables.

The objective of this review by the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General was to estimate the extent of FY 2000 fee-for-service Medicare payments that did not comply with Medicare laws and regulations. Based on HHS¿s statistical sample, HHS estimates that improper Medicare benefit payments made during FY 2000 totaled $11.9 billion, or about 6.8% of the $173.6 billion in processed fee-for-service payments reported by the Health Care Financing Admin. (HCFA). As in past years, these improper payments could range from inadvertent mistakes to outright fraud and abuse. HHS recommendations address the need for HCFA to sustain its efforts in reducing improper payments. Tables and graphs.