Spotlight Articles

09-11-2014: Medicaid: State Policies That Result in Inflated Federal Costs
Since the Medicaid program was established, the costs and responsibilities for administering it have been shared between the States and the Federal Government. However, a number of OIG reports have cited examples of State policies that distort the cost-sharing arrangement, causing the Federal Government to pay more than its share of Medicaid expenditures.
03-18-2014: Diabetes Test Strips
Fraud and waste associated with the billing of diabetes supplies has become so prevalent that OIG is taking a multi-pronged approach to fight it - focusing on prevention efforts as well as calling upon a wide arsenal of enforcement actions.
12-18-2013: Fighting Fraud at Community Mental Health Centers
Lethal Weapon. Tootsie. Ghostbusters. Batman. You may think these are great movies—some might argue they're classics—but do they qualify as psychotherapy?
08-01-2013: Bad Bargains for Federal Health Programs
In a time of budget-cutting and fiscal crises, it's more important than ever to be sure that Federal money is put to good use. Yet according to a 2012 Institute of Medicine report, 30% of all U.S. health spending is wasted.
06-24-2013: Drug Diversion
Spotlight | Podcast
It is becoming so pervasive that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has formally labeled it an "epidemic." It is one of our nation's fastest growing public health problems, and it takes a hefty toll on individuals, families, taxpayers, and society. What is the crisis? Prescription drug abuse.
02-28-2013: Skilled Nursing Facilities
Spotlight | Podcast
Consider this scenario: a patient with a bedsore is admitted into a nursing facility. During her stay, she develops three more bedsores. The facility fails to track and treat each wound properly, further complicating and prolonging her healing. Unfortunately, it is not hypothetical - OIG found this and many other examples of substandard care while conducting a recent review of skilled nursing facilities (SNF [pronounced "sniff"]).
02-04-2013: Grants Management and Oversight
Did you know that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the largest grant-making organization in the Federal Government? In fiscal year (FY) 2011 alone, HHS awarded over 82,000 grants totaling approximately $385 billion.
11-15-2012: Personal Care Services: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Recommendations for Improvement
Spotlight | Podcast
Though bathing, light housework, or meal preparation may not be readily associated with the Medicaid program, these types of services - called personal care services (PCS) - allow many elderly people and those with disabilities or chronic or temporary conditions to remain in their homes and maintain basic quality of life.
07-20-2012: Adverse Events in Hospitals
Spotlight | Podcast
Patients admitted to the hospital generally expect that the medical care they receive will improve their health, not worsen it. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case.
12-14-2011: Head Start Health and Safety
Poison ivy, a gas-powered hedge trimmer, toxic chemicals, rusty nails, a machete... What do all of these items have in common? OIG auditors found them all in reach of children at Head Start locations.
11-07-2011: Medicare and Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebates
Did you know that the net amount Medicare Part D sponsors pay for the top 100 brand-name drugs is substantially higher than what Medicaid pays?
10-28-2011: Indian Health Services
Nearly 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives are beneficiaries of health care services provided by the Indian Health Service, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.
09-07-2011: Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities
How can medical facilities bill Medicare for services on the day when OIG evaluators visited their location and discovered they're closed or don't
even exist?
07-19-2011: Hospice Care Claim Problems
Hospice care is an important and personal service for terminally ill Medicare beneficiaries, yet it doesn't escape the problems of fraud, waste, and abuse.
07-13-2011: Power Wheelchairs
Medicare spent $95 million on claims for power wheelchairs that were either medically unnecessary or lacked sufficient documentation to determine medical necessity during the first half of 2007. A series of OIG reports examines Medicare power wheelchair claims.
06-07-2011: Medicaid Personal Care Services
Are taxpayers footing the bill for improper Medicaid claims for personal care services? The answer is yes, according to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services.