Senators are claiming CMS officials have yet to issue a moratorium, which would prevent potentially fraudulent Medicare providers from joining the program, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
CMS was recently granted the authority to impose moratoriums in highly fraudulent regions or to certain types of providers, such as medical equipment and home health companies. Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah say officials have not yet taken advantage of this authority, and the senators wrote a letter to CMS urging them to do so.
"Now that CMS has the authority to suspend questionable providers and suppliers from Medicare, it's inexplicably failing to use it," Sen. Hatch said, according to the report. "This makes no sense ... what's it going to take for this agency to step up and take action?"
In a prepared statement, CMS officials said they are "evaluating a number of potential opportunities" to use the moratorium tool.
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CMS was recently granted the authority to impose moratoriums in highly fraudulent regions or to certain types of providers, such as medical equipment and home health companies. Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah say officials have not yet taken advantage of this authority, and the senators wrote a letter to CMS urging them to do so.
"Now that CMS has the authority to suspend questionable providers and suppliers from Medicare, it's inexplicably failing to use it," Sen. Hatch said, according to the report. "This makes no sense ... what's it going to take for this agency to step up and take action?"
In a prepared statement, CMS officials said they are "evaluating a number of potential opportunities" to use the moratorium tool.
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