OIG

Regulatory Issues April 13, 2015

Concerns for Preferred Provider Agreements

By Matt Fisher – Advisory Opinion 15-04 issued by the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) on March 25, 2015 offers some warnings when entering into preferred provider agreements. The new Advisory Opinion arose in the context of laboratory services, but the principles discussed are easily applicable to any preferred provider arrangement. The advice and insight are important in light of the increasing desire among providers to identify and enter into preferred provider agreements.

Regulatory Issues March 16, 2015

3 Steps: Drive Your Compliance Checkup Using the OIG Work Plan

By Robert Freedman – According to a report to Congress, that’s the amount returned to Uncle Sam in FY2014 as a result of healthcare oversight and investigations conducted by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Avoiding this type of negative impact to cash flow and the bottom line is a matter of revenue integrity and is a high priority to most healthcare organizations.

Regulatory Issues February 24, 2015

Collections Allowed for Pre-Exclusion Services

By Matt Fisher – Advisory Opinion 15-02, issued by the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) for the Department of Health and Human Services on February 13, 2015 offers some, albeit minimal, relief for providers excluded from participation on Medicare and other federal healthcare programs.

EHR Adoption, Health Innovation November 19, 2014

More EHR Audits Planned for 2015

More EHR audits are on the way. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) will continue to pay closer attention to the healthcare industry’s use of electronic health records–in particular HIPAA security, EHR incentive payments and fraud, according to the office’s recently released 2015 work plan.