Industry Notes:
OIG Compliance Training Offers Peek At Feds' View
Published on Tue Jan 04, 2011
You may want to hop on an opportunity to prepare for a visit from the feds. The HHS Office of Inspector General is offering free half-day compliance training sessions in six cities -- Houston, Tampa, Kansas City, Baton Rouge, Denver, and Washington, D.C. The Houston session kicks off the program on Feb. 16 and the last session is in D.C. on May 18. This is a new tactic from the government watchdog agency, notes attorney Robert Markette with Gilliland & Markette in Indianapolis. "It is great that they are attempting to take a more proactive approach and educating providers, instead of just prosecuting," Markette praises. "It is also nice that they are free." However, given the OIG sessions' limited availability, the OIG's effort may be more symbolic than practical. And the half-day time limit means the amount of useful information given may be small, Markette says. Despite the limitations, "attending the [...]