Fiscal Year 2012 HHS OIG Work Plan

The Federal Inspector General for Health and Human Services performs the vital function of preventing (when it is feasible) and finding (when it has occurred) health care fraud and abuse.  The OIG is involved in bringing order and justice to the system. Because health care comprises about 17% of our gross domestic product, the potential financial reward for fraud is enormous and the opportunity  for individuals and organized criminal groups to steal from the citizens of the United States is substantial.

The OIG's Green Book "sets forth various projects to be addressed during the fiscal year by the Office of Audit Services, Office of Evaluation and Inspections, Office of Investigations, and Office of Counsel to the Inspector General."

If you are health care provider, health care attorney, administrator, financial advisor or involved in payment for health care services, the Green Book is an important read. And if you plan to make your living by defrauding our government, taxpayers, those who pay health care bills, the Green Book sends a clear warning: our government goes after cheaters.

More About Diabetic Meter Control Solution

I sent the postcard back to my heavily advertised diabetes supply vendor, but before receiving it they called me to ask if I was ready to reorder. As my telephone contact went down the list, I said I did not want her company's brand of glucose meter control solution because I had problems with it (accuracy) and had spoken with the company's quality control department.  I asked for the meter manufacturer's brand of control solution but was told that the vendor only supplied its own brand and if I didn't want their (?defective?) brand, they wouldn't supply me with the control solution at all.

If you are diabetic, you know that frequent accurate testing and control of blood glucose prevents heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, hypoglycemic coma and other serious injuries.  The control solution is an important element in informing you when your meter or testing strips are producing errors which may result in serious, expensive and preventable patient injury. 

Contrary to the company's promise, no one from their quality assurance department had given me additional information about their investigation of my complaint.  I guess that no one from the FDA reads my blog since I haven't heard from them, either.  Nor from the Inspector General's Office of Legal Counsel.

So, who is minding the store on quality and value for price of the products which the federal government is paying the vendor to supply to Medicare beneficiaries who are diabetic? 

If you have had similar problems with  vendors of Medicare-funded diabetic supplies, I strongly urge you to contact Medicare directly (see the link above).   Maybe if enough people call, someone will pay attention to be sure that the federal government, and its Medicare population, get the quality of diabetic test supplies they deserve and pay for.