The OIG has released its “Compendium of Priority Recommendations,” which lists 25 priority issues for which the OIG has open recommendation and that, if implemented, would best protect the integrity of HHS programs. The 25 top priorities are as follows:
- Medicare Policies and Payments: address wasteful Medicare policies and payment rates for clinical laboratories, hospitals, and hospices; improve controls to address improper Medicare billings by community mental health centers, home health agencies, and skilled nursing facilities; detect and recover improper Medicare payments for services to incarcerated, unlawfully present, or deceased individuals; maximize recovery of Medicare overpayments; improve monitoring and reconciliation of Medicare hospital outlier payments; ensure that Medicare Advantage Organizations are implementing programs to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse; and improve controls to address questionable billing and prescribing practices for Part D prescription drugs.
- Medicare Quality of Care and Safety Issues: address adverse events in hospital settings; improve care planning and discharge planning for beneficiaries in nursing home settings; address harm to patients, questionable resident hospitalizations, and inappropriate drug use in nursing homes; improve nursing home emergency preparedness and response; and ensure hospice compliance with Medicare conditions of participation.
- Medicaid Program Policies and Payments: ensure that state claims and practices do not inappropriately inflate federal reimbursements; ensure that states prevent, detect, and recover improper payments and return the federal share of recoveries to the federal government; assist states to better align Medicaid drug reimbursements with pharmacy acquisition costs; ensure that Medicaid Information Systems are fully functional; and address Medicaid managed care fraud and abuse concerns.
- Medicaid Quality of Care and Safety Issues: ensure that Medicaid home- and community-based care service providers comply with quality and safety requirements; and ensure that States improve utilization of preventive screening services for eligible children.
- Oversight of Food Safety: improve oversight of dietary supplements; and improve oversight of food inspections and traceability.
- HHS Grants and Contracts: improve oversight of grantee compliance, quality assurance, and conflicts of interest; and improve oversight of Medicare contractor performance and conflicts of interest.
- HHS Financial Stewardship: reduce improper payments and fraud; and correct deficiencies found in financial statement audits.
Note that some of these recommendations would require additional authority or other legislative change.