The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 included a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) process for developing relative value recommendations for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The GAO concluded that CMS’s process for establishing relative values embodies several elements that cast doubt on whether it can ensure accurate Medicare payment rates and a transparent process.
The GAO recommends that CMS should better document its process for establishing relative values and develop a process to inform the public of potentially misvalued services identified by the RUC. The GAO also recommends that CMS should develop a plan on how they will manage the funds Congress appropriated for the collection and use of information on physicians’ services in the determination of relative values.
The report is available here.
