The Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services (OIG, HSS – www.oig.hss.gov) issued a Compliance Program Guidance (CPG) for Hospitals in 1998 (www.oig.hhs.gov/authorities/docs/cpghosp.pdf).

In 2005 a Supplemental CPG for Hospitals was issued (www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/complianceguidance/012705HospSupplementalGuidance.pdf).

“The two documents offer a set of guidelines that hospitals should consider when developing and implementing a new compliance program or evaluating an existing one…A successful compliance program addresses the public and private sectors’ mutual goals of reducing fraud and abuse; enhancing health care providers’ operations;
improving the quality of health care services; and reducing the overall cost of health care services.”

Components of the program include an Ethics Code, Ethics Training, and an Ethics Hotline.