First few Article Sentences
In response to growing federal and state budget deficits (and many other reasons), the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state governments have increased audit programs to identify improper payments. Improper payments include fraud, waste and abuse. CMS alone estimates it loses $24 billion annually through improper payments. Healthcare providers face the daunting task of keeping track of this “tangled web” of overlapping audit programs. This article provides an update on some of the current governmental audit programs underway.