Eli's Hospice Insider

With the November 2015 update of the downloadable Exclusions files, OIG will begin a three-month transition toward offering this data in a new file format,” the HHS Office of Inspector General says in a release.

Old way: “The current downloadable files are offered in DBF format and contained within selfextracting/compressed files (EXE and ZIP),” the agency explains.

New way: “OIG will now offer raw data in comma-separated value (CSV) format, which is contained in a TXT file. All fields and data within the files remain the same. The new CSV format will be replacing the previous formats.” The OIG will “ease the transition over the next three months” by offering the previous file formats along with the new format. “We will eliminate the DBF, EXE, and ZIP files in February 2016” for good, the agency says.

Do this: “While the DBF files are still available, we strongly recommend downloading the CSV-formatted file and testing it in your software environment,” the OIG adds.

“Searching the LEIE is important because health care providers who hire an individual on the LEIE may be subject to civil monetary penalties,” stresses law firm Dinsmore on its website. “A provider who employs an excluded individual to provide items or services that are reimbursed by Federal health care program funds will be required to pay back 100 percent of the funds improperly received and may be subject to liability under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law.”

Remember: You should check both potential hires and current employees against the list, Dinsmore attorney Thomas Hess notes.

You can access the LEIE files at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions.