[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 218 (Friday, November 12, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69452-69453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28366]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of Inspector General
Solicitation of Information and Recommendations for Supplementing
the Guidance Provided in the Special Advisory Bulletin on the Effect of
Exclusion from Participation in Federal Health Care Programs
AGENCY: Office of Inspector General (OIG), HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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[[Page 69453]]
SUMMARY: This notice informs the public that the Office of Inspector
General (OIG) intends to update the Special Advisory Bulletin on the
Effect of Exclusion from Participation in Federal Health Care Programs
(64 FR 52791; September 30, 1999) and solicits input from the public
for OIG to consider in developing the updated bulletin.
DATES: To assure consideration, public comments must be delivered to
the address provided below by no later than 5 p.m. on January 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: In commenting, please refer to file code OIG-115-N. Because
of staff and resource limitations, we cannot accept comments by
facsimile (FAX) transmission.
You may submit comments in one of three ways (no duplicates,
please):
Electronically. You may submit electronic comments on
specific recommendations and proposals through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. (Attachments should be in
Microsoft Word, if possible.)
By regular, express, or overnight mail. You may send
written comments to the following address: Office of Inspector General,
Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: OIG-115-N, Room
5541, Cohen Building, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20201. Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received
before the close of the comment period.
By hand or courier. If you prefer, you may deliver, by
hand or courier, your written comments before the close of the comment
period to Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human
Services, Cohen Building, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20201. Because access to the interior of the Cohen Building is not
readily available to persons without Federal Government identification,
commenters are encouraged to schedule their delivery with one of our
staff members at (202) 619-1343.
For information on viewing public comments, please see the
Supplementary Information section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrice Drew, Department of Health and
Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of External
Affairs, (202) 619-1368.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submitting Comments: We welcome comments from the public on this
Special Advisory Bulletin on the Effect of Exclusion from Participation
in Federal Health Care Programs. Please assist us by referencing the
file code OIG-115-N.
Inspection of Public Comments: All comments received before the end
of the comment period are available for viewing by the public. All
comments will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov as soon as
possible after they have been received. Comments received timely will
also be available for public inspection as they are received at Office
of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, Cohen
Building, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20201, Monday
through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment to
view public comments, phone (202) 401-2206.
Background
The Special Advisory Bulletin on the Effect of Exclusion from
Participation in Federal Health Care Programs contains guidance which
has proven to be extremely important to excluded individuals and to all
of those in the health care industry who are concerned with compliance.
The health care industry and health care professionals have now had
more than a decade of experience with the ramifications of exclusion
since OIG first published this bulletin in 1999. With time it has
become even more apparent that exclusion has a significant impact, not
only on those who have been excluded but also on entities that have
employed or contracted with excluded persons and been faced with
liability for overpayments and civil monetary penalties as a result. As
OIG's compliance and enforcement activities in this area have
increased, many health care providers have discovered that they employ
excluded individuals and have self-disclosed to the OIG. Many health
care providers have also sought to design compliance programs that will
minimize the risk of submitting claims to a Federal health care program
for items or services furnished, ordered, or prescribed by an excluded
individual. In considering the content of the Special Advisory
Bulletin, OIG is soliciting comments, recommendations, and other
suggestions from concerned parties and organizations on how best to
supplement the guidance provided in the Special Advisory Bulletin to
address relevant issues and to provide useful guidance to the industry.
For example, OIG seeks comments on areas in which clarification and
further guidance on the effect of exclusion may be helpful.
Dated: November 5, 2010.
Daniel R. Levinson,
Inspector General.
[FR Doc. 2010-28366 Filed 11-10-10; 8:45 am]
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