In mid-August, the United States Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) announced updates to its Work Plan and established that it will now post updates to the Work Plan on a monthly basis instead of only once or twice per year. The Work Plan sets forth the OIG’s current projects and areas of focus, including audits currently in process or anticipated to start, based on areas of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services programs the OIG considers contain risk or need attention. The OIG’s list of active items on its Work Plan has more than 200 entries, with 37 items having been added this summer alone (18 items added in June, 14 items added in July, and five items added in the first two weeks of August). Some of the matters added this summer include:
- An audit of how states are monitoring their opioid treatment programs
- A review of certain Medicare payments for telehealth services
- An audit of the appropriateness of Medicare Part B payments for psychotherapy services
- An assessment of the value of the Patient Safety Organization Program among hospitals
- A review of the quality measure data reported by Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations
For more details about the OIG’s Work Plan, please visit the OIG’s website.