While certainly not an everyday occurrence, sometimes Congress actually gets things done. As an example, a congressional request has led the OIG to conduct a limited, four-state review of CMS's competitive bidding program for DME. The review will cover Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, and Ohio, and will investigate whether CMS awarded contracts to unlicensed DME providers, according to an Aug. 22 OIG letter addressed to Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Bruce L. Braley (D-Iowa). Thompson and Braley had called for the review in a June 20 letter to OIG.

Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson said the review would determine if state licensing requirements were met by DME providers who were awarded contracts, and he said the review would also examine any impacts to the competitive bidding program as a result of licensing issues. OIG will conduct a full post-award review of Round Two of the competitive bidding program later this year.