What is waste in health care, in the context of fraud, waste, and abuse?

• A. Unjustifiable use of funds, products, or services.
• B. Misuse of patient data.
• C. Inadequate staff scheduling practices.
• D. Unapproved capital purchases.

Answer: (A)

Waste in health care means using resources in a way that isn’t justifiable and does not improve patient care, leading to unnecessary costs. The option that describes an unjustifiable use of funds, products, or services fits this definition exactly, since it points to resources being spent or used without a legitimate medical need or benefit. The other choices touch on related concerns but aren’t the standard definition of waste: misuse of patient data concerns privacy and security; inadequate staff scheduling is an administrative inefficiency; and unapproved capital purchases involve procurement controls and can reflect fraud or abuse rather than waste itself.