Our study identified many techniques and approaches that organizations have used and found effective in reducing their levels of improper payments that could be used by federal agencies to help reduce improper payments in their programs.
Too many of the payments were wrong so they had to do something to fix it. 
mnli hypothesis: Too many of the payments were wrong so they had to do something to fix it.  premise: Our study identified many techniques and approaches that organizations have used and found effective in reducing their levels of improper payments that could be used by federal agencies to help reduce improper payments in their programs.