What the heck is a Compendium, and better yet, what the heck is the Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations? AND how could it be used in New Jersey?
In March, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued its “Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations”. On first blush, it is hard to imagine that any entity called the “Office of Inspector General” would issue a publication which outlines ways to save money or improve the programs that were not undertaken. However, a deeper analysis is necessary. The compendium outlines the implementation of cost savings or improvements which require either legislative, regulatory or administration action and, in some cases, more than one of the three actions are necessary.
The compendium covers Medicare, Medicaid and Public Health and Human Services as different parts of the compendium. The compendium, in the opening pages, makes a number of “priority recommendations.” The priority recommendations vary from non-monetary recommendations to suggestions that have estimated savings exceeding $3 billion. The recommendations also provide ideas for the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health Service, Medicaid and other federal entities.
It is also interesting to see there are some specific suggestions regarding, among others, home health agencies, ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals. It is reasonable to expect that these recommendations will form the basis for future areas for improvement as well as scrutiny by entities that pay for any of these services. It is also expected that these can be areas for review for individuals who think that some of the particular conduct that they have observed or have been asked to participate in is something that can properly be reported to the federal government.
It may be beneficial for any employee working in or for a home health agency, an ambulatory surgical center, hospital, nursing home, hospice, rural health clinic, laboratory or imaging service in New Jersey consider looking at the recommendations of the compendium.
Naturally, if you work in the health care area and become aware of any fraudulent claims being made to the government, you should contact a qualified New Jersey fraud attorney.