The HHS Office of Inspector General on April 16 published new draft compliance guidance for nursing homes, calling special attention to quality-of-care concerns. Public comments will be accepted through June 2.

The draft supplemental guidance updates the OIG’s original compliance program guidance (CPG) to nursing homes, published in 2000. It is the 13th such CPG or supplemental CPG issued to the health care industry since the OIG began providing compliance guidance in 1997. The final guidance is expected to be released sometime in the fall.

While the draft supplemental CPG addresses Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues that the OIG believes effective compliance programs should cover, the guidance also provides significant details about fraud and abuse risks that arise from substandard quality of care.

The draft guidance is available at www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/complianceguidance/NurseCPGIIFR.pdf.