Skip to Content

GAO ruling throws Region C MAC transition up in the air

GAO ruling throws Region C MAC transition up in the air

WASHINGTON - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) last month may have given Cigna Government Services another chance at becoming the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Region C. In January, as part of its transition from DMERCs to MACs, CMS awarded that contract to Palmetto GBA. Soon after, Cigna, which also bid on the contract, protested the award, sending it to the GAO for a ruling. On May 4, the GAO approved Cigna's protest. But the news wasn't all good, at least not for Cigna. The company also protested CMS's award of the Region D MAC to Noridian Administrative Services. The GAO denied that request. The approved protest in Region C, however, may force CMS to put that contract back out to bid, an industry source said. "I presumed that both protests would be denied--that they were slam dunks," he said. "I'm kind of surprised." Because the protests are "protected," a source at the GAO would only say this about the approved protest: "We've made a recommendation that the agency now has to deal with." The GAO wasn't expected to make its rulings public for several weeks, the source said.

Comments

To comment on this post, please log in to your account or set up an account now.