OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Medicare's Quality Improvement Organizations

Date: Aug. 15, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Senior Citizens Entitlements and the Safety Net Health Insurance


Medicare's Quality Improvement Organizations

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, sent a letter to the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking a series of questions about Medicare's Quality
Improvement Organizations after The Washington Post reported problems with the groups.
Grassley made the following comment as well.

"The Post's reporting raises a lot of troubling questions. Secrecy and tax dollars don't
mix. Bad things can happen in the absence of public scrutiny. The taxpayers deserve to know
what they're getting for the $300 million a year that they contribute to these groups. And David
Shipp deserved to know what happened to his wife without having to sue. I intend to find out
whether Quality Improvement Organizations make a difference in quality of care, and whether
they're accountable enough to patients and the taxpayers."

http://finance.senate.gov/press/Gpress/2005/prg081505.pdf

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