The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has unveiled its FY 2013 OIG Work Plan , a blueprint for the watchdog agency’s work in the upcoming year and beyond.
For enterprising health care reporters, this publication is like a catalog of story ideas, featuring hundreds of summaries of OIG’s upcoming reports, descriptions of its investigative and legal work, plus an overview of guidance it provides to the health care provider community. Topics of upcoming reports include same-day hospital readmissions, oversight of poorly performing nursing homes, and FDA’s process for investigational new drug applications.
Also, on Oct. 24, OIG will launch its OIG Outlook 2013 webcast. The free online event will include OIG’s senior leadership discussing emerging trends in combating fraud, waste and abuse in federal health care programs, OIG’s top priorities for 2013, and upcoming projects outlined in the Work Plan.
OIG’s mission is to protect the integrity of HHS’s 300+ programs – including Medicare and Medicaid – and the well-being of beneficiaries by conducting audits, evaluations, and investigations; providing guidance to the health care industry; and imposing civil monetary penalties, assessments and administrative sanctions.
