CMS Launches CRUSH Program To Defer And Withhold Federal Medicaid Funds During Fraud Investigations

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a new initiative called the Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH) program. The program places increased scrutiny on potential Medicaid fraud and allows CMS to defer or withhold federal funding to states during investigations. The effort initially targeted Minnesota, California, Maine, and New York, while a House committee sent information requests to 11 states.

Traditionally, CMS addressed Medicaid fraud through a process called a disallowance, which claws back federal funds after fraud has been confirmed through an audit. This process can take years to complete and is applied after . . .