In just the first three quarters of 2024, 155 providers have been added to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Medicaid exclusion list. Over 4 million people in Texas are covered by Medicaid, and the Texas OIG exclusion list provides protection for each of them, as well as for healthcare facilities.
The number of those being excluded from participating as a Medicaid provider is rising. So businesses are becoming more cautious when hiring and vetting providers and vendors. Non-compliance can lead to an organization losing Medicaid funding and status as a provider within this program. Severe penalties may also occur, and these downfalls are just a few that a healthcare organization could experience if they knowingly, or even unknowingly, hire or contract with someone on the Texas OIG exclusion list.
To ensure that nothing is missed, organizations should automate the way they cross-reference vendor information with different lists during the background check process. Compliance software can help with this, as it can automate the process, reduce manual work, and help organizations avoid costly fines.
The Challenges of Manual Exclusion List Checking
With 45 Medicaid exclusion sources, the upkeep of list changes is the most difficult part of vetting vendors and providers. Manually comparing employee and vendor records against exclusion lists can be taxing. It also presents a host of problems, such as:
- Inconsistencies among state lists
- Delays in updates
- Incomplete lists
- Inaccurate data
The primary problem is that each exclusion list has a different time frame or frequency for updating, which intensifies the challenge of managing the lists when you have new hires.
While the Texas OIG exclusion list is updated daily, many states may update monthly or every other month. In this case, it helps to have an automated software solution that is built to check an employee’s name against a minimum of 55 exclusion lists on a federal, state, and international scale.
How Compliance Software Streamlines Exclusion List Checks
Consider how many providers may be on the Texas OIG exclusion list, and then consider how much time is required to weed through this one list alone. The right compliance software will automate this type of search while reducing waste and limiting the chance for human error.
These key features significantly reduce the time that businesses need to spend checking potential employee information against multiple lists at one time:
- Regular updates
- HRIS integration
- Automated comparison between multiple lists
- Automatic employee syncing
This type of software solution that automatically checks your records and alerts you if any of your employees or contracted vendors are on the list will help avoid employees going undetected. This feature specifically ensures that you are always aware of any potential compliance issues and gaps within your rates of adherence and compliance efforts, and allows you to act more quickly, reducing the chance of legal issues or penalties.
The Right Tools for Compliance
When vetting your vendors or potential employees, don’t skim the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Medicaid exclusion list manually. Instead, adopt a software solution that will complete your Texas OIG exclusion search and compare your findings against other lists without any additional effort. In addition to streamlined vetting, by leveraging advanced compliance software, your organization will have access to seamless HRIS integration, which will simplify recruitment and onboarding and even enhance your reporting capabilities.
To ensure the safety of your organization and those that you provide care to, try a demo today.
