HHS publishes updated healthcare compliance guidance

New guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides descriptions of major health regulations, including the False Claims Act, and how to avoid getting ensnared by them.

The General Compliance Program Guidance (GCPG), released Nov. 6, is the first in a series of updated, voluntary, nonbinding guidance documents issued by the HHS’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the body that enforces health regulations.

The GCPG is designed to apply generally to the healthcare industry, from doctors to pharmaceutical manufacturers, and help all such entities self-monitor their compliance and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, the OIG said. The HHS last updated its guidance in 2008.