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The seven wonders of the OIG world

Executive Briefings Digest, February 3, 2003

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Can your risk manager identify seven areas that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) considers must-haves for any corporate compliance plan? Regardless of whether your risk manager also doubles as your compliance officer, he or she should be familiar with these seven areas, because many of them can affect a hospital's liability. The OIG says hospitals should have specific policies spelled out concerning:

1. Written standards of conduct. This area includes policies and procedures that promote the hospital's compliance program, but may also include protocols for medical records documentation and reporting potential liability incidents or concerns.
2. A chief compliance officer and related committees.
3. Employee education.
4. A hotline or other way for employees to anonymously report complaints.
5. A systematic way to investigate and respond to allegations of improper or illegal activities. The OIG also wants hospitals to establish procedures for disciplining employees who violate internal compliance policies, laws, or regulations.
6. A comprehensive auditing program to monitor compliance.
7. A way to track sanctioned physicians and other professionals. The OIG wants to see how your hospital protects against hiring someone who is on Medicare's "do not reimburse" list.

Source: Briefings on Liability Risk Reduction,
http://www.hcmarketplace.com/Prod.cfm?id=1264&S=EEBD

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