OIG to Hold Six Free Compliance Training Sessions in 2011

First Session in Houston, February 16, 2011
HEAT Provider Compliance Training
Take the Initiative:
Cultivate a Culture of Compliance with Health Care Laws

Houston is the location for the first in a series of six free compliance training sessions offered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). The sessions will focus on a three-pronged message about provider compliance:

• understand the fraud and abuse laws and the consequences of violating them,
• make a plan to cultivate a culture of compliance within your organization, and
• know what to do when noncompliance is discovered.

The training sessions are a key component of the commitment by the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)-a joint initiative of HHS and the U.S. Department of Justice-to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

OIG is offering free, half-day compliance training sessions in Houston, Tampa, Kansas City, Baton Rouge, Denver, and Washington, DC, for local health care providers, compliance professionals, and their legal counsel. The sessions will feature government experts from OIG, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, United States Attorneys' Offices, and State Medicaid Fraud Control Units to talk about the realities of health care fraud and the importance of implementing an effective compliance program.

The first session will take place in Houston on February 16, 2011, at the Houston InterContinental near the Galleria, 2222 West Loop South, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Locations and dates for the following training sessions are:

• Tampa, FL: March 2 at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel
• Kansas City, MO: March 23 at the Embassy Suites Country Club Plaza
• Baton Rouge, LA: April 12 at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center
• Denver, CO: May 3 at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel
• Washington, DC: May 18 at the HHS Humphrey Building