OIG Monthly Work Plan Review: September 2018

Neither of the two new OIG Work Plan items directly impacts labs but both address areas of national concern and have potential long-term implications on at least some labs.

1. Follow-Up Review of Head Start Grantee

Issue: A community-based, not-for-profit organization was awarded a Head Start grant to provide early childcare, social services, education, health, nutrition, and related services to children and their families at three centers in the Bronx, New York. The Administration for Children and Families requested that OIG conduct an audit of this grantee because of its high risk of noncompliance with federal compliance.

OIG Action: The OIG will conduct an audit and determine whether the grantee claimed Head Start costs that were allowable under applicable federal regulations and the terms of the grant. The review will focus on two specific areas: the related-party transaction and restitution of embezzled funds.

2. Review of Opioid Use in Indian Health Service

Issue: Opioid abuse and overdose deaths are at crisis levels in the United States, with approximately 49,000 Americans dying from opioids in 2017, an increase from more than 42,000 in 2016.

OIG Action: Consistent with previous work in Medicare Part D and Medicaid, OIG will conduct a review to determine the extent to which beneficiaries are receiving extreme amounts of opioids through Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responsible for providing federal health services to Native American Tribes and Alaska Native people. It will also look at IHS-employed prescribers and IHS-run pharmacies that have questionable prescribing or dispensing patterns. Additionally, the review will determine how IHS prevents and detects opioid misuse or abuse, as well as how it enforces opioid-related policies.