OIG Proposes $77 Million Increase to its FY 2017 Budget
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has requested $419 million for its…
2016 Compliance Office Work Plans
Tips and Ideas for Developing a Compliance Work Plan Now that we are in 2016, it is time to develop…
CMS Issues Final Rule Requiring Overpayments Within 60 Days
The CMS Overpayment Rule The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a final rule requiring Medicare Parts…
OIG Reports Receiving Continuing Stream of Hotline Calls
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its Semiannual Report to Congress detailing operations for the second half of the…
OIG Report on Background Checks for Long-Term Care Employees
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides grants to States to facilitate implementation of background check programs to…
Avoiding Problems With GSA Debarment Hits: Best Practice Tips to Mitigate Sanction Screening Problems
The Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) is now part of the System for Award Management (SAM), which is maintained by…
With the New Year Comes the Time for a New Compliance Annual Work Plan: Suggested Tips in Meeting the Challenge
The beginning of a new year brings with it a challenge for compliance officers. Now is the time that compliance…
When Moving to a Corporate Integrity Agreement, Think Ahead to Avoid Problems Later
Recent high-profile cases involving Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs) such as Tuomey Healthcare System and Millennium Health (formerly Millennium Labs) remind…
Board Level Mandates in Corporate Integrity Agreements
Over the years, the OIG has used Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs) to advance policies requiring organizations to maintain compliance with…
OIG to Audit the Office of Civil Rights Oversight of HIPAA Security
The HHS OIG recently released its annual Work Plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. The Work Plan outlines planned audits…
CMS Penalizes More Than 700 Hospitals for High Rates of Hospital-Acquired Conditions
In FY 2015, CMS began reducing Medicare payments for hospitals that rank in the worst-performing quartile for hospital-acquired conditions (HACs).…
OCR Enters into a $750,000 HIPAA Settlement for Organization’s Failure to Implement Effective Policies and Procedures
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has entered into a settlement agreement with the University of Washington Medicine (UWM)…