Compliance Today (July 2020)
The White House announced its nominee for the inspector general role at the Department of Health & Human Services late Friday, May 1.[1] The announcement came after Christi A. Grimm, the current principal deputy inspector general, released a report, Hospital Experiences Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a National Pulse Survey March 23-27, 2020,[2] detailing the shortages and challenges the Office of Inspector General found within the healthcare system. The report listed what hospitals that responded to the survey wanted the government to do, such as:
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“Relax rules around the designation of bed types;
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“Take steps that enable hospitals to establish surge facilities in non-traditional settings such as hotels and civic centers”;
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“Provide reliable predictive models and data that would help them plan and prepare; and
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“Provide a single place to find the information they need, including information on the COVID-19 disease, guidance from agencies, and instructions for processes they need to follow, such as how to apply for waivers from certain requirements.”
The nominee, Jason C. Weida, an assistant United States attorney in Boston, must first be confirmed by the Senate.