Lynch partnered with HRSA to strengthen oversight of COVID‑19 relief programs through improper payment testing, audit support, and data‑driven insights.
Since 2022, Lynch has led improper payment and audit testing support for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Provider Relief Bureau. Our payment integrity review process of HRSA's PRF program covered 809,000 payments totaling $135.2B paid to over 421,000 health care providers across the country and over $24B of reimbursements under HRSA's Uninsured Program (UIP).
At the center of this effort is the COVID‑19 Provider Relief Program, a collection of initiatives that included the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), Uninsured Program (UIP), American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural Payments, and the COVID‑19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF). Together, these programs delivered billions in funding to healthcare providers nationwide, ensuring they could continue delivering care during, and after, the public health emergency.
In the wake of the pandemic, HRSA faced heightened reporting and audit scrutiny from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Congress. To meet these oversight expectations, Lynch partnered with HRSA to design and implement a comprehensive IP testing methodology. Our team developed structured testing plans, refined payment calculation formulas, and introduced internal control improvements designed to strengthen consistency and reduce future program risk.
Executing IP testing meant reviewing thousands of sampled transactions across multiple programs. Each review required a focused look at provider applications, supporting financial documentation, and recalculation of payment amounts to confirm eligibility and proper use of funds.
Because these programs were complex and evolving, we worked closely with HRSA, third‑party payment processors, and providers to verify data accuracy and resolve discrepancies quickly. When program guidance changed, our testing plans adapted in real time, ensuring full alignment with current federal audit standards and policies.
To validate payment integrity, the team manually recalculated PRF and UIP transactions using authoritative guidance and established formulas. Every recalculation was independently verified through peer reviews and stakeholder concurrence, ensuring quality and transparency at every step. The resulting data fed into HRSA’s annual reporting, including the HHS Agency Financial Report, helping the agency present accurate, defensible results to oversight bodies.
Beyond transaction testing, our work provided HRSA with practical insights for improving the program overall. Each year, the Lynch team delivered an Improper Payments (IP) Recommendations Report that turned testing results into actionable steps, such as refining sampling methods, strengthening internal documentation requirements, and clarifying eligibility guidelines.
We also delivered analytical and operational support, including ad hoc data reviews, manual application testing, and provider audit analysis. These services gave HRSA deeper visibility into payment trends and helped the agency target higher‑risk transactions for further review.
The impact of this contract has been significant. Lynch’s IP testing and audit support enhanced HRSA’s ability to meet compliance obligations under the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 and OMB Circular A‑123. The partnership increased HRSA’s transparency, strengthened its data‑driven oversight, and informed future policy improvements across multiple relief programs.
For the Lynch team, the engagement also reaffirmed the firm’s reputation for technical rigor and operational discipline. HRSA leadership formally recognized the team’s responsiveness and attention to detail, underscored by an “Excellent” CPARS rating for performance.
This contract is more than a milestone, it is a model for how Lynch delivers on its mission, to help federal clients make confident, accountable decisions using clear data and strong controls. Our team’s work with HRSA demonstrates how thoughtful analysis, collaboration, and applied financial expertise can turn oversight challenges into lasting improvements.
Bridging financial strategy and operational innovation.
