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Best Practices for Healthcare OIG Exclusion Screening

February 10, 2022

The Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (OIG LEIE) is used to identify individuals and entities who have been excluded from Federally funded health care programs. The Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) is a database of individuals and entities currently debarred from federal contracting. The EPLS was merged with the System for Award Management (SAM) in June 2012.

Anyone who hires an individual or entity on the exclusions list may be subject to civil monetary penalties (CMP). Can your company afford the penalty of hiring an excluded individual?

Full article on the settlements here

The OIG does not issue warnings or notify entities about exclusions, so what can you do as an employer to ensure you’re compliant?

Incorporate these best practices into your hiring and ongoing screening processes to ensure compliance and safety of your patients:

1.      Always check for currently excluded or sanctioned individuals on the OIG LEIE and EPLS prior to hiring an individual.

2.      Continuously monitor the OIG LEIE and EPLS for employed individuals. Per 42 Code of Federal Regulation 455.436- Medicaid providers are to check the LEIE and EPLS no less frequently than monthly.

 

The OIG LEIE Exclusions Database and SAM EPLS Database can be checked manually, which can become time consuming and burdening to your staff.

Background Research Inc. can automate your exclusion screening process, saving you time and stress. We have contracted with a leading healthcare data and technology company to provide superior monitoring services to our clients. Let us continuously monitor the OIG/SAM + all 43 State exclusion lists for you and take the burden off your shoulders.

We can also continuously monitor licenses (providing notification if a license is about to expire in 30, 60, and 90 days, a stipulation or letter of admonition is registered, etc.) Stay tuned for our next blog- Best Practices for Healthcare License Monitoring.

Contact us at background@lhrs.net or 970-243-7509 for more information and to see sample reports for our continuous monitoring services.

 

Disclaimer:

Lighthouse HR Support (LHRS) provides practical human resource information and guidance based upon our knowledge and experience in the industry and with our clients. LHRS services are not intended to be a substitute for legal advice. LHRS services are designed to provide general information to human resources and/or business professionals regarding human resource concerns commonly encountered. Given the changing nature of federal, state and local legislation and the changing nature of court decisions, LHRS cannot and will not guarantee that the information is completely current or accurate. LHRS services do not include or constitute legal, business, international, regulatory, insurance, tax or financial advice. Use of our services, whether by phone, email or in person shall indicate your acceptance of this knowledge.

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