Medicare PROs: Extreme Variation in Organizational Structure and Activities

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information regarding the Health Care Financing Administration's Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organizations (PRO) Program, which provides nurse and physician reviews of Medicare patients' hospital records, focusing on the organizations': (1) characteristics; (2) review activities; (3) objectives and interventions; and (4) relationships with other health and consumer groups.