Crushing Fraud, Waste, & Abuse
CMS is crushing fraud, waste, and abuse to protect Americans.
Alert: CMS Implements Temporary Nationwide Enrollment Moratorium on Certain DMEPOS Suppliers
On February 25, 2026, CMS implemented a six-month nationwide moratorium on certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) companies. Any initial or change in majority ownership (CIMO) applications submitted by DMEPOS suppliers after the implementation of the moratorium will be denied.
For more information, refer to the Federal Register Notice here or Provider Enrollment Moratoria.
Announcement: CMS Releases Request for Information
On February 25, 2026, CMS posted a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting stakeholder and public feedback on potential regulatory changes that may make CMS more effective in identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in CMS programs. To submit a response, please visit the Federal Register no later than March 30, 2026.
Announcement: Beneficiary Notification/Confirmation Letters
In May 2025, CMS launched a Hospice Election Notification pilot in Nevada to address hospice election fraud and enhance beneficiary protection. The pilot was expanded to California in December 2025. During the pilot, when a hospice provider files a Notice of Election, a notification letter is immediately sent to the beneficiary to make sure they know they’ve been enrolled in hospice. If the beneficiary did not elect hospice, they’re directed to call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) who helps quickly overturn their hospice election.
This pilot recognizes the importance of informed hospice elections, because many services are no longer covered once a beneficiary’s hospice benefit starts (See Medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care). Since the start of the pilots, over 25,000 letters have been issued to ensure beneficiaries are properly informed.
A copy of the letter being sent to beneficiaries in these states is available here.
Recent and Upcoming Events
CMS hosted an in-person event on Friday, December 5th in San Francisco, California to combat fraud involving health plan identifiers (IDs) and enhance the security of those IDs. These collaborative events brought together experts from diverse backgrounds to develop innovative ways to protect patient information.
Learn more about the IDea Challenge here.
Fast Facts
Learn more about program integrity risks to CMS programs and the steps CMS is taking to crush fraud.
The FDOC
Hospice Fraud
RADV Audits
Dual Enrollment
Hot Spots
See below for details on the biggest risks to CMS programs.
Durable Medical Equipment Fraud
Some DMEPOS suppliers have billed Medicare for items that were never provided or have submitted bills without the beneficiary’s knowledge or consent. Some providers also accepted kickbacks from suppliers to bill DMEPOS when the item was not medically necessary.
Inappropriate DMEPOS billing could affect available benefits, increase out-of-pocket costs, or indicate stolen health information.
Coming Soon
Page Last Modified:
03/11/2026 08:45 AM