Federal Reports

For more than 200 years, the Postal Service has been a mainstay in rural America, which the OIG found values the Postal Service for not just its package and mail services but also its presence in the community. For example, more than half (56 percent) of rural customers know either their postmaster, clerk, or carrier by name. The OIG found that this type of familiarity drives positive experiences at post offices generally. To examine how rural Americans currently engage with the Postal Service, the OIG fielded a nationally-representative survey of rural and non-rural Americans, hosted a moderated online discussion board, and conducted interviews with Postal Service employees and executives.

Because ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) often perform complex medical procedures, including invasive surgeries under general anesthesia, we examined how Medicare ensures that ASCs meet minimum health and safety requirements through its State survey process. Most ASCs (known as nondeemed ASCs) undergo a State agency survey to demonstrate that they meet these requirements; the others (known as deemed ASCs) are accredited by a Medicare-approved accreditor. In addition to conducting regular surveys of nondeemed ASCs, States also conduct investigations of complaints that allege poor care or other problems at both types of ASCs. Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly using ASCs for outpatient surgical procedures. In fact, Medicare payments to ASCs increased from $3.4 billion in 2011 to $4.6 billion in 2017.

The Daphne Post Office is located in the Alabama District of the Southern Area. OIG data analytics identified the Daphne Post Office had $60,161 recorded to account identifier code (AIC) 526, Refund Spoiled or Unused Customer Meter Stamps, from January 1 to March 31, 2019. Meter revenue refunds for the Daphne Post Office accounted for 76 percent of all refunds processed under AIC 526 within the Alabama District for the same timeframe. This percentage ranked the Daphne Post Office as the highest in the Alabama District and the third highest in the nation for the scope period. The objective of the audit was to determine whether meter revenue refunds were properly issued, supported, and processed at the Daphne Post Office.