HHS OIG Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2005

The Office of Inspector General ("OIG") of the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") has released its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2005 ("Work Plan"), which summarizes the major projects the OIG intends to pursue in the coming year in each of HHS's major operating areas, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") and the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA").¹ While the OIG's priorities are subject to change "in response to new information, new issues, and shifting priorities" of Congress and the Administration, the Work Plan indicates that the OIG expects to touch on virtually all segments of the health care industry in the coming year. Several key reviews are mandated by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (the "MMA").