Government contracting is plagued by nefarious, amateurish, and criminal behavior. By awarding government contracts to corporations as compensation for lavish gifts and personal favors, the United States government fails to serve the public interest effectively and honestly. William Sims Curry identifies and categorizes multiple deficiencies in how government contractors are selected, and proposes how reforms can be instituted.This book is based on extensive research. Curry sifted through two years worth of contractor claims maintained by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding improper behavior of federal government agencies during the contract award process. He identified additional government contracting failures through review of media stories, inspector general reports, court cases, and press releases by government investigatory agencies.Much of this abuse originates from the mandated but ineffective practice of color coding rating proposals and a subjective ratings system. Curry proposes replacing the current practice with a scoring system that weighs contractor selection criteria according to the government's needs. This, along with the other procurement reforms Curry recommends, offers promise for an alternative to the fraud, waste, and incompetence currently rampant in government contracting.

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.

Medicare Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: Challenges and Strategies for Preventing Improper Payments

Medicare Fraud: Further Actions Needed to Address Fraud, Waste, and Abuse