The recipient of a contract to guard the operations of the Medicare Trust Fund is called which term?

• A. Medicare Trust Fund Overseer
• B. Quality Improvement Organization Supervisor
• C. Redetermination Administrator
• D. Recovery Audit Contractor

Answer: (D)

Recovery Audit Contractors are the entities contracted by CMS to audit Medicare payments and recover improper payments, helping to protect the Medicare Trust Fund from waste and abuse. This program, created to strengthen program integrity, involves post‑payment (and some prepayment) reviews to identify overpayments and recover funds due to improper payments. The other terms don’t describe this function: a Medicare Trust Fund Overseer is not a defined contractor responsible for audits; Quality Improvement Organizations focus on care quality rather than safeguarding the fund; redetermination relates to the Medicare claims appeals process rather than contracting to guard the fund.