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Program Integrity

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to combating Medicaid provider fraud, waste, and abuse which diverts dollars that could otherwise be spent to safeguard the health and welfare of Medicaid enrollees.

CMS has broad responsibilities under the Medicaid Integrity Program:

  • To hire contractors to review Medicaid provider activities, audit claims, identify overpayments, and educate providers and others on Medicaid program integrity issues
  • To provide effective support and assistance to states in their efforts to combat Medicaid provider fraud and abuse
  • To eliminate and recover improper payments in accordance with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002, Executive Order 13520 and the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010

See Medicaid Integrity Program and Fraud Abuse for additional general information. You can also use the following links to directly access information about the topics listed below.

NameDescription

Comprehensive Medicaid Integrity Plans (CMIP)

The CMIP is developed in consultation with key stakeholders and details the Medicaid Integrity Program’s 5-year comprehensive strategy for combating fraud, waste and abuse.

Report to Congress

An annual report to Congress on the use and effectiveness of the funds appropriated for the Medicaid Integrity Program.

Provider Audits

Section 1936 of the Social Security Act obligates the CMS to procure contractors to audit Medicaid claims and identify overpayments. To fulfill this statutory requirement, the Medicaid Integrity Program (MIP) has procured Audit Medicaid Integrity Contractors (Audit MICs) to conduct provider audits throughout the country.

Medicaid Guidance Fraud Prevention

Best practices and performance standards for states to use in their fraud prevention efforts.

State Program Integrity Reviews

Through these triennial reviews, CMS assesses the effectiveness of the state's program integrity efforts, including its compliance with federal statutory and regulatory requirements. The reviews also assist in identifying effective state program integrity activities which may be considered particularly noteworthy and shared with other states.

Medicaid Integrity Institute (MII)

The mission of the MII is to provide effective training, tailored to meet the ongoing needs of state Medicaid program integrity employees, with the goal of raising national program integrity performance standards and professionalism.

State Program Integrity Assessment (SPIA)

The State Program Integrity Assessment (SPIA) is the CMS first national data collection on state Medicaid program integrity activities for the purposes of program evaluation and technical assistance support. CMS will use the data from the SPIA to develop descriptive reports for each state, identify areas to provide states with technical support and assistance, and assess states' performance over time.

Tamper Resistant Prescriptions

All written prescriptions for outpatient drugs prescribed to a Medicaid beneficiary must be on paper that meets all three baseline characteristics of tamper-resistant pads.

Program Integrity Review Report List

Comprehensive state program integrity (PI) review reports (and respective follow-up review reports) provide CMS' assessment of the effectiveness of the state's PI efforts, including its compliance with federal statutory and regulatory requirements. They also assist in identifying effective state PI activities which may be noteworthy and shared with other states. Focused PI review reports provide information on reviews conducted to examine specific areas of PI concern in one or more states.