Senate Republicans question role of $10 billion innovation center

Three GOP Senators have asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the effectiveness of this center, which was created by the health law, and to determine whether it is duplicating work that was already the responsibility of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The Hill: Senate GOP Questions Health Care Law's $10B Innovation Center
Congressional Republicans are turning their sights to yet another piece of the health care reform law -; a new center for innovation in Medicare and Medicaid. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) was designed to test new ideas for cutting health care costs and improving quality. Given those goals, some Republicans had said in the past that the center probably wouldn't be a prime target for Republicans, despite its $10 billion budget. But Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Thursday that they're worried the CMMI is a waste of money (Baker, 11/10).

Politico Pro: GOP Senators Call For Scrutiny Of CMMI
Three top Senate Republicans are asking the Government Accountability Office to take a close look at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and make sure it's not just doing things that CMS was already doing. In a letter to GAO on Thursday, Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) asked for a study that would compare the agendas of CMMI, the Federal Coordinated Health Care Office and the Center for Strategic Planning, all of which have been set up within CMS. Hatch, Coburn and Enzi also want GAO to examine how CMS will oversee the offices and determine how effective they are (Nather, 11/10).

Modern Healthcare: GOP Lawmakers Question Value Of CMS Innovation Center
Three members of the Senate Finance Committee have sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that questions whether the CMS Innovation Center is providing value for the money it spends on its programs. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a physician, requested Sebelius to provide them with a host of information, including an accounting to date of all CMS Innovation Center expenditures to test payment and delivery models, and any strategic plan or operating system document that offers information on the center's future initiatives (Zigmond, 11/10).