On June 7, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management held a hearing "Assessing Medicare and Medicaid Program Integrity." Federal officials testified that while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is successfully combating fraud and abuse in the Medicare program, insufficient real-time data has hindered Medicaid anti-fraud and abuse efforts. Members and government officials robustly debated the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor ("RAC") program, particularly whether contractor contingency fee arrangements has resulted in over-aggressive RAC collection efforts. Witnesses at the hearing were Peter Budetti, M.D., J.D., Deputy Administrator, Centers for Program Integrity, CMS; Ann Maxwell, Regional Inspector General, Office of Evaluations and Inspections, Office of Inspector General; and Carolyn L. Yocom and Kathleen M. King, Directors, Health Care, Government Accountability Office. Witness statements are available here. Tom Dowdell
