August 15,2005

Grassley Seeks Details of Medicare's Quality Improvement Organizations

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Reporters and Editors
Re: Medicare’s Quality Improvement Organizations
Da: Monday, Aug. 15, 2005

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, sent a letter to the Centersfor Medicare and Medicaid Services asking a series of questions about Medicare’s QualityImprovement Organizations after The Washington Post reported problems with the groups.Grassley made the following comment as well.

“The Post’s reporting raises a lot of troubling questions. Secrecy and tax dollars don’tmix. Bad things can happen in the absence of public scrutiny. The taxpayers deserve to knowwhat they’re getting for the $300 million a year that they contribute to these groups. And DavidShipp deserved to know what happened to his wife without having to sue. I intend to find outwhether Quality Improvement Organizations make a difference in quality of care, and whetherthey’re accountable enough to patients and the taxpayers.”