Policies that weaken ability of payers to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse must be rejected: PCMA

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO Mark Merritt issued the following statement today on the recent U.S. House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies subcommittee vote to provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Justice Department with $561 million for programs designed to combat fraud, waste, and abuse:

“The other side of the anti-fraud coin is that policymakers must reject policies that inadvertently weaken the ability of public and private payers to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. It's far easier to prevent fraud than to engage in 'pay and chase' activities after the fact.”

"As coverage expands under the new health reform law, it's more important than ever to enhance America's overall program integrity capabilities. The Administration has noted that these kinds of efforts can save almost $10 billion.

"The other side of the anti-fraud coin is that policymakers must reject policies that inadvertently weaken the ability of public and private payers to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. It's far easier to prevent fraud than to engage in 'pay and chase' activities after the fact."