Sen. Grassley speaks on the importance of enforcement

WASHINGTON — It is important for physicians to comply with health care legislation, but it is equally important for regulators to enforce existing regulations, said a congressman here at a National Congress on Health Care Compliance.

“I wish more of my colleagues would be attentive to see that the laws are faithfully executed by the executive branch of the government,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

The senator said he plans to conduct an evaluation of the False Claims Act. He noted that several amendments have been added to the act since it was passed in 1986, to protect the relationship between whistleblowers and the Department of Justice. Sen. Grassley said he was a supporter of the amendments, and he feels the relationship is “corroding” as the act has come under attack from Congress, the courts and the Department of Justice.

He also warned against the relaxation of corporate integrity agreements (CIAs), corrective plans that must be adopted by violators of fraud and abuse statutes to stay in the Medicare program.

“I’m concerned that the Office of Inspector General is embarking on a policy that will make CIAs too flexible. In addition to allowing providers to revise or relax their CIAs, a new, kinder, gentler policy is in place, contained in a open letter to providers from the Inspector General herself explicitly stating that in some cases, the CIA may not be necessary,” he said.

In an effort to reverse the relaxation of these corrective provisions, the senator has requested an investigation of the Office of Inspector General and of Health and Human Services by the General Accounting Office.