Best Practices For OIG Exclusion Monitoring
If you own a healthcare business, you will need to ensure the safety of your patients to realize business success. The U.S Office of the Inspector General (OIG) prohibits some workers or companies from healthcare employment to ensure the safety of workers, patients, and visitors. This applies to healthcare providers that get funding from various government-funded programs, including the veterans' programs, TRICARE, and Medicare. If you're considering implementing monthly OIG employee screening in your organization, here are the best OIG exclusions monthly monitoring practices to explore.
Utilize OIG's Database for Excluded Persons
OIG provides a List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) to identify excluded parties quickly. The OIG may include you in this list due to:
- Performing Medicaid or Medicare fraud
- Neglecting or abusing patients
- Providing illegal medical services
The OIG updates the LEIE list every mid-month, and OIG may include or remove individuals from this list. In this regard, perform thorough monthly employee screening and verify search results with unique details like social security numbers.
Make Use of Other Relevant Lists During Your OIG Exclusions Monthly Screening
On top of the LEIE, you should use other exclusion databases to ensure accurate employee screening. The lists include Ohio Medicaid, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) System for Award Management (SAM), and the United States Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) database.
Know the Repercussions of Hiring Excluded Parties
Hiring OIG excluded individuals can risk your patients' safety and attract fines and lawsuits. Additionally, your healthcare business may suffer reputation damage by hiring excluded parties. Hence, perform OIG exclusions monthly screening to avoid these risks.
Monitor for Exclusions Continuously
While monthly OIG employee screening may be effective, consider continuous monitoring of exclusion lists. The process may involve automating the screening process to ensure timely updates. This helps achieve OIG compliance.
Review Your Exclusion Monitoring System Frequently
You need to review your exclusion monitoring tools frequently to determine whether they meet your goals. The reviews can help you identify potential OIG exclusions problems and provide solutions, increasing the efficiency and accuracy of the screening process.
Get a Comprehensive Continuous Screening Solution
Implementing comprehensive OIG screening solutions can help you get updates in real-time. This enables you to take the appropriate disciplinary and administrative action against excluded individuals. In this regard, you maintain OIG compliance.
The best OIG exclusions monthly screening practices include utilizing OIG's database for excluded persons and other relevant lists and continuously monitoring for exclusions. Also, you need to know the repercussions of hiring excluded parties, review your exclusion monitoring system frequently, and get a comprehensive continuous screening solution. Consider implementing these monthly OIG employee screening practices for proper talent management in your healthcare organization.
