Office of Inspector General December 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On September 29, 2016, OIG announced ``The Simple Extensible Sampling Tool Challenge''. This notice serves as an update to the original notice which stated that upon receipt of an updated submission the previous submission would be excluded in its entirety from the competition. This updated notice removes this restriction for entries from teams that have been previously identified as finalists. Any finalist may update their entry without losing their finalist designation. Updates from the finalists will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. EST on the fourteenth day after the fifth finalist has been identified or May 15, 2017, 5:00 p.m. EST, whichever comes first. The newest entry from each team will be used for all judging purposes unless otherwise requested by the team. Other than the above change, all rules and requirements outlined in the September 29, 2016, Federal Register notice remain in effect.

In this final rule, OIG amends the safe harbors to the anti- kickback statute by adding new safe harbors that protect certain payment practices and business arrangements from sanctions under the anti-kickback statute. The OIG also amends the civil monetary penalty (CMP) rules by codifying revisions to the definition of ``remuneration,'' added by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (ACA). This rule updates the existing safe harbor regulations and enhances flexibility for providers and others to engage in health care business arrangements to improve efficiency and access to quality care while protecting programs and patients from fraud and abuse.

On November 9, 2016, USDA Inspector General Phyllis K. Fong, pursuant to authority vested in her by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (5 U.S.C. 3345-3349d) and the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (5 U.S.C. app. 3), issued IG-1313, Change 8, Succession, Delegations of Authority, and Signature Authorities. This directive is a revised succession order and reflects delegations of authority for the Office of Inspector General. This directive has been revised to update the lines of succession and delegation, and to clarify procedures to be followed in the event the Office of Inspector General (OIG) headquarters must be relocated. This directive provides guidance on the transfer of functions and duties of the Inspector General (IG), as well as other OIG central management functions, regardless of what events necessitate such transfer.