CMS will keep a close eye on 'innovation' funding

Funds for new Medicare experiments -- appropriated as part of the health law -- may require special scrutiny to ensure they are spent correctly, a Medicare official said, CongressDaily/NextGov reports. "The health reform law establishes the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation in 2011, appropriating $15 billion for the office over the next 10 years. The center is tasked with testing new payment and delivery systems for Medicare and Medicaid, with an aim toward reducing spending in the programs." But, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Executive Director Mark Miller said Monday, "We will have to vigorously protect the money and make sure it is used for these purposes" (McCarthy, 5/10).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.