On the heels of publication of sweeping proposed rules to expand its exclusion and civil monetary penalty (CMP) authorities, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is seeking White House clearance of another rule to expand its Medicare and state health care program fraud and abuse authorities. Specifically, yesterday the OIG sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a proposed rule that would add new anti-kickback safe harbors to reflect statutory changes, codify the Affordable Care Act’s definition of “remuneration,” and add a gainsharing CMP regulation. The OIG also has indicated that a separate rulemaking on inflation adjustment for CMPs will be forthcoming, but that regulation has not yet been submitted to OMB. The OIG considers each of the proposed rules to be a stand-alone, independent rule, although there is obviously overlap in the subject matter. We will continue to closely follow these regulatory developments.
