Two OIG inspection reports detailing the results of onsite hospice surveys during a five-year period ending three years ago in 2016 build on the body of hospice industry evaluations conducted by the OIG, garnering significant negative press attention. Many in the hospice industry believe the OIG reports lack balance and focus excessively on the negative findings associated with a small minority of hospices. In light of CMS’s concurrent initiative to put “patients over paperwork” and reduce regulatory burdens on providers, OIG’s call for enhanced regulatory oversight and expanded reporting requirements for hospice may strike some industry watchers as out of step with the administration’s efforts to reduce unnecessary red tape, but OIG sticks to its watchdog role.
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