US · guidance
CMS Pub. 100-08, ch. 8, § 8.4.4.2
Random Number Selection
The contractor shall identify the source of the random numbers used to select the
individual sampling units, if used. The contractor shall also document the program and
its algorithm or table, when available, that is used; this documentation becomes part of
the record of the sampling and must be available for review. The contractor shall
document any starting point if using a random number table or drawing a systematic
sample. In addition, the contractor shall document the known seed value if a computer
algorithm is used. The contractor shall document all steps taken in the random selection
process exactly as done to ensure that the necessary information is available for anyone
attempting to replicate the sample selection.
There are a number of well-known, reputable software statistical packages (SPSS, SAS,
etc.) and tables that may be used for generating a sample. One such package is RAT-STATS, available through the HHS-OIG website. It is emphasized that the different
packages offer a variety of programs for sample generation and do not all contain the
same program features or the same ease in operation. For any particular problem, the
contractor’s statistician or systems programmer shall determine which package is best
suited to the problem being reviewed.
History
(Rev. 906; Issued: 09-26-19; Effective: 01-02-19; Implementation: 01-02-19)
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-25
- Edition
- iom-2026-08-25
- Content hash
2ecaf1d59198525da7d5bdcbcdc11560501c06edf576f5a76e3201b6f55a9771
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