Uncertainties Abound as MAOs Prep for 2020 Program Audits

Jul 17
Jul 17, 2020

After providing a break to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic by suspending audit and quality reporting activities, CMS appears to be hitting the restart button on 2020 program audits and risk adjustment data validation (RADV) audits. But with only five full months left in the calendar year, health plans and compliance experts are wondering how thoroughly CMS will conduct the annual program audit process, which focuses on a subset of MAOs that varies in size depending on the year.

Nevertheless, experts say clients should have been preparing for 2020 audits based on the draft protocols CMS released prior to the pandemic and just finalized with a few tweaks. At the same time, they must consider proposed changes for 2021 that were recently posted with a comment period.
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Lauren Flynn Kelly

Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in-depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.