Nursing Facility Compliance Program Guidance

The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released the updated Nursing Facility Industry Segment Specific Compliance Guidelines last month to help nursing facilities identify their own risks and implement an effective compliance and quality program to reduce those risks. The guidelines are voluntary and non-binding and must be tailored to the unique nature of each facility. The Compliance Program Guidelines pays special attention to four risk areas – Quality of Care and Quality of Life, Medicare and Medicaid Billing Requirements, Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and Other Risk Areas. The American Health Care Association is working on additional education training to support members’ understanding and application of these guidelines.