Expanded Federal Authority Needed to Protect Medicare and Medicaid Patients from Health Practitioners Who Lose Their Licenses.
Abstract
While reviewing how the Medicare and Medicaid programs operate, GAO noted that it was possible for a health practitioner, who held licenses in more than one state, to have one of these licenses suspended or revoked by a state licensing board but relocate and continue to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients. Thus, in these instances, federal beneficiaries would not be protected against practitioners determined by a state licensing board to be unfit to provide care. To determine whether practitioners did relocate to another state and practice after having their licenses suspended or revoked, GAO reviewed practitioners who surrendered their licenses or had them suspended or revoked in Michigan, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. These practitioners held licenses in a total of 40 jurisdictions. Licensing boards in all these jurisdictions were contacted to obtain information for this report.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA140888
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office