Government Accountability Office

GAO Urges Medicare Action on Opioids

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is not doing enough to oversee the prescribing of opioids to Medicare beneficiaries. Or so concludes the U.S. Government Accountability Office. According to the GAO, CMS provides guidance to Medicare drug plans “…but does not analyze data specifically on opioids.” Also, according to the GAO, …CMS does not identify providers who may be inappropriately prescribing large amounts of opioids separately from other drugs, and does not require plan sponsors to report actions they take when they identify such providers. As a result, CMS is lacking information that it could use to assess how [...]

GAO Looks at Use of Telehealth in Medicare, Medicaid

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has examined the use of telehealth services in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In a study that looked at current Medicare practices, sampled Medicaid practices in six states, and consulted selected provider, payment, and patient associations, the GAO evaluated the extent to which telehealth is used in Medicare and Medicaid today, factors that affect the use of telehealth in Medicare, and the degree to which new payment and delivery models might affect future telehealth utilization in Medicare. The report does not offer recommendations. The GAO released its findings in a new report titled Telehealth: Use [...]