On November 10, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued its Work Plan for fiscal year 2017.  The 2017 Work Plan summarizes new and ongoing activities that the OIG plans to pursue with respect to HHS programs and operations in 2017 and beyond.  The 2017 Work Plan also removes items that have been completed, postponed, or cancelled, and includes new items that have been started since April of 2016.  The OIG updates its Work Plan throughout the year to adapt and evolve its processes and procedures as the market conditions change.

The 2017 Work Plan specifically addresses the following general areas: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Public Health Reviews, Human Services Reviews, Other HHS-Related Reviews, and Health Care Reform.  The 2017 Work Plan provides helpful insight to physicians so that they may tailor their practices to comply with OIG directives.  Specifically, the following subcategories are among those which may be pertinent to our physician clients:

• Medicare payments for chronic care management
• Review of CMS’s implementation of the Quality Payment Program
• Accountable care in Medicaid
• Outpatient Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
• Billing for prosthetics and orthotics
• Billing for personally performed anesthesia services
• Chiropractic billing
• Billing for Physical Therapy by Therapists in Independent Practice

The OIG 2017 Work Plan can be found here: https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/archives/workplan/2017/HHS%20OIG%20Work%20Plan%202017.pdf

For more information about the OIG’s 2017 Work Plan, contact Bill Kalogredis, Esquire at Lamb McErlane PC: (610) 701-4402 bkalogredis@lambmcerlane.com or Katie LaDow, Esquire at Lamb McErlane PC: (610) 701-3261 kladow@lambmcerlane.com.