OIG to focus on IPPS changes

On Oct. 1, The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2008. On an annual basis, OIG conducts a comprehensive work-planning process to identify the areas most worthy of attention in the coming year. This year's Work Plan includes an increased focus on many of the changes that CMS implemented in its FY2008 IPPS Final Rule, including:

• Medical capital payments
• Adjustments for graduate medical education payments
• Inpatient prospective payment system wage indices
• Inpatient hospital payments for new technologies
• Medicare disproportionate share payments
• Patient care and safety in physician-owned specialty hospitals

In addition, the Work Plan states that OIG will increase its focus on "never events:"

OIG is "required to review the administrative processes of CMS to detect such events and to deny or recoup payments for services furnished in connection with such events. We will assess the utility of current state and voluntary reporting systems and examine CMS's oversight of and processes for identifying and responding to never events."

Access the Work Plan here.