--- title: "OIG Compliance Risk Areas: 4 Common Errors for Healthcare Organizations" description: Learn about common OIG compliance risk areas and errors and how to prevent them in your monitoring procedures. image: https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hubfs/Pensive%20businesswoman%20looking%20at%20a%20paper%20while%20working%20on%20her%20laptop%20at%20her%20desk.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/oig-compliance-risks#page-content) [![Valenz Health](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hubfs/web/logo.svg)](https://www.valenzhealth.com/) - [Who We Serve](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/) - [Solutions](https://www.valenzhealth.com/solutions/member-experience/) - [About Us](https://www.valenzhealth.com/about-us/) - [Resources](https://www.valenzhealth.com/resources/) - [Contact](https://www.valenzhealth.com/contact/) ### [Patients](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/members/) ### Payers - [Employers](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/employers/) - [Taft-Hartley Funds](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/taft-hartley-funds/) ### Providers - [Healthcare Facilities and Providers](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/healthcare-facilities-and-providers/) ### Plans - [Health Plans](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/health-plans/) - [Third-Party Administrators](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/third-party-administrators-tpas/) - [Brokers and Consultants](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/brokers/) - [Stop Loss Producers](https://www.valenzhealth.com/who-we-serve/stop-loss-producers/) #### Partner with Us Discover how Vālenz Health® can simplify the healthcare experience with our innovative solutions. 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[Variable Copay](https://www.valenzhealth.com/solutions/plan-performance/variable-copay/) Back ### Search # OIG Compliance Risks: Common Errors and Pitfalls During the Monitoring Process By [Vālenz Health®](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/author/valenz-health) - July 18, 2025 [Compliance](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/tag/compliance) [Provider Quality](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/tag/provider-quality) Share ![A frustrated women reviews compliance errors in an office. ](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pensive%20businesswoman%20looking%20at%20a%20paper%20while%20working%20on%20her%20laptop%20at%20her%20desk.jpeg?width=485&height=485&name=Pensive%20businesswoman%20looking%20at%20a%20paper%20while%20working%20on%20her%20laptop%20at%20her%20desk.jpeg) Here at Vālenz Health®, we partner with many healthcare providers, facilities, and organizations to secure compliance with industry regulations, including those set by the Office of Inspector General (OIG).  In our decades of working with these clients, we’ve identified a few common errors and pitfalls holding these organizations back from full compliance — and exposing them to unnecessary legal and financial repercussions. In today’s installment of our OIG compliance series, we highlight those risks, how they happen, and how you can learn from them to remain vigilant in your own OIG compliance monitoring processes. ## Common OIG Compliance Risk Areas In previous blog posts, we’ve covered at length [what an OIG compliance program is](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/oig-general-compliance-program-guidance) and [how to perform monthly compliance checks](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/oig-compliance-monitoring/) for your own healthcare organization.  As you optimize your OIG compliance process, we recommend keeping the following common pitfalls in mind, as they are the ones that most frequently cause headaches and challenges for our healthcare clients. ### 1. Not Searching all the Correct Sources While compliance monitoring is often referred to in relation to the Office of Inspector General Exclusion List, the monitoring process shouldn’t be contained to that list alone. Similarly, healthcare organizations should not rely on single state-specific lists to identify compliance risks, even if that state is the only one in which they operate.  According to [Section 6501 of the Affordable Care Act](https://www.hhs.gov/guidance/document/affordable-care-act-program-integrity-provisions-guidance-states-section-6501-termination), if an individual or entity is sanctioned in one state, they are considered sanctioned in all states. Unfortunately, sanctions are not always applied to all state lists. By exclusively searching a single-state Medicaid, you may not be aware if an individual was previously sanctioned in another state, opening your organization up to unnecessary risks.   To minimize these risks, some states and contracts now require other non-standard databases to be checked in addition to OIG recommendations. Therefore, the best way to confirm compliance for your team and organization (and be prepared for a future audit) is to check every source you possibly can, as frequently as you can.  Compliance monitoring programs like [Valenz Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring](https://www.valenzhealth.com/providers/epstaffcheck-compliance-management/) can make that happen with comprehensive sanction and exclusion list monitoring and non-compliance alerts.  ### 2. Not Verifying Possible Matches The OIG recommends that screening of employees and other relevant individuals is conducted [on at least a monthly basis](https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/toolkits/928/HCCA-OIG-Resource-Guide.pdf), but a once-a-month search may not be enough to properly identify **and** confirm potential matches with all sanction and exclusion lists.  Remember that exclusion lists like the System for Awards Management (SAM) may have minimal information on a potential match; relying solely on that information could lead to erroneous or missed matches. Therefore, when your organization is presented with a possible match from a program like Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring, we recommend taking additional steps to verify that match.   This process could be as simple as reviewing identifying information (such as a date of birth or a first/last name) to confirm or rule out a possible match based on the data you have available. At other times, you may need to visit the sanctioning agency’s website or reach out to their email contact to verify a possible match with more identifying information, such as a social security number. ### 3. Running Out of Date Batch Files To successfully identify OIG compliance risks, you first need an accurate database to compare against.   When conducting your monthly checks, ensure that your batch files are up to date and reflect your current roster of employees/vendors/etc. If you’re using a program like Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring to automatically run checks on certain days of the month, you’ll need to ensure that you’re only running the files that you **need** to run to avoid unnecessary usage on your account. ### 4. Report Retention As unpleasant as they are, compliance audits are a fact of life for healthcare organizations. To avoid unnecessary stress and wasted time and energy when they do appear, you should be proactively retaining your monthly reports in a clear, organized manner.  We recommend having a designated location for your compliance checks (both those done monthly and for individual providers) and ensuring reports are named and organized in a way that everything is easy to locate when needed.  ![Valenz-SocialPost-ComplianceRisksInfographicHorizontal](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/Blog%20Graphics/Valenz-SocialPost-ComplianceRisksInfographicHorizontal.png?width=1000&height=563&name=Valenz-SocialPost-ComplianceRisksInfographicHorizontal.png) ## Improve Your Compliance Monitoring Program If your compliance monitoring program has stumbled into any of these pitfalls or other errors harming your ability to identify and resolve compliance concerns, there’s good news: These risks are easily resolved — and easy to avoid in the future with the right monitoring program.  Our Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring solution takes a proactive, automated approach to compliance monitoring to reduce these risks from occurring **and** deliver faster, more comprehensive identification of non-compliant healthcare providers.  Learn more about how the program works — and how Valenz can customize a solution for your unique organization needs — by contacting one of our team members today.  ### Connect With Us to Learn More ![Vālenz Health®](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Valenz%20Logo%20Signature.png?width=48&height=48&name=Valenz%20Logo%20Signature.png) [Vālenz Health®](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/author/valenz-health) Vālenz Health® empowers employers, brokers, payers, and providers to reduce costs, improve quality, and elevate the healthcare experience. Our solutions combine advanced technology, clinical expertise, and extensive cost, quality, and utilization datasets to execute across the entire healthcare journey — connecting insights and action for greater transparency, flexibility, and cost containment within a complex system. By helping our customers and members navigate healthcare with confidence, we support smarter care decisions, strengthen plan performance, and deliver better value for everyone we serve. ## Related Articles [![Three co-workers review information in an online video about NSA compliance. ](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202025-08-07T171254.754.png)](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/nsa-tic-compliance) ### [Achieving TiC and NSA Compliance: 3 Ways Vālenz Health® Supports TPAs](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/nsa-tic-compliance) As the individuals often tasked with the responsibility of meeting No Surprises Act (NSA) requirements and Transparency in Coverage (TiC) rules, third-party administrators (TPAs) play a key role in helping self-funded plans stay compliant. [Vālenz Health®](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/author/valenz-health) August 26, 2026 [![](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hubfs/Blog/AdobeStock_576808710-1.jpeg)](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/leveraging-healthcare-analytics) ### [Leveraging Healthcare Data Analytics for Lower Costs and Better Care Delivery](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/leveraging-healthcare-analytics) According to Grand View Research, the U.S. healthcare analytics market size is estimated to reach $67.5 billion by 2033, reflecting the rapid adoption of AI and predictive analytics by all parties affected by ever-rising healthcare costs. [Vālenz Health®](https://blog.valenzhealth.com/author/valenz-health) July 06, 2026 Share Ready to Simplify Self-Insurance? ## Your Journey Starts Here Connect with a Valenz team member to explore the difference our solutions can make for you. ![Vālenz Health](https://www.valenzhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/logo.svg) [![Youtube](https://www.valenzhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Icon-Youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/@valenzhealth) [![Linkedin](https://www.valenzhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Icon-Linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/valenz/) [Login](https://www.valenzhealth.com/user-login/) [Help Center](https://support.valenzhealth.com/hc/en-us) [Trust Center](https://trust.valenzhealth.com/) [Privacy Policy](https://www.valenzhealth.com/privacy-policy/) Cookie Settings [Cookie Policy](https://www.valenzhealth.com/cookie-policy/) [California Privacy Rights Notice](https://www.valenzhealth.com/california-privacy-rights-notice/) [Terms and Conditions](https://www.valenzhealth.com/terms-and-conditions/) 1717 McKinney Ave, Suite 1000, Dallas, TX 75202, USA | [(866) 762-4455](tel:+18667624455) © 2026 Vālenz Health® ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "about" : [ { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Compliance" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Provider Quality" } ], "articleBody" : "Here at Vālenz Health®, we partner with many healthcare providers, facilities, and organizations to secure compliance with industry regulations, including those set by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). In our decades of working with these clients, we’ve identified a few common errors and pitfalls holding these organizations back from full compliance — and exposing them to unnecessary legal and financial repercussions. In today’s installment of our OIG compliance series, we highlight those risks, how they happen, and how you can learn from them to remain vigilant in your own OIG compliance monitoring processes. Common OIG Compliance Risk Areas In previous blog posts, we’ve covered at length what an OIG compliance program is and how to perform monthly compliance checks for your own healthcare organization. As you optimize your OIG compliance process, we recommend keeping the following common pitfalls in mind, as they are the ones that most frequently cause headaches and challenges for our healthcare clients. 1. Not Searching all the Correct Sources While compliance monitoring is often referred to in relation to the Office of Inspector General Exclusion List, the monitoring process shouldn’t be contained to that list alone. Similarly, healthcare organizations should not rely on single state-specific lists to identify compliance risks, even if that state is the only one in which they operate. According to Section 6501 of the Affordable Care Act, if an individual or entity is sanctioned in one state, they are considered sanctioned in all states. Unfortunately, sanctions are not always applied to all state lists. By exclusively searching a single-state Medicaid, you may not be aware if an individual was previously sanctioned in another state, opening your organization up to unnecessary risks. To minimize these risks, some states and contracts now require other non-standard databases to be checked in addition to OIG recommendations. Therefore, the best way to confirm compliance for your team and organization (and be prepared for a future audit) is to check every source you possibly can, as frequently as you can. Compliance monitoring programs like Valenz Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring can make that happen with comprehensive sanction and exclusion list monitoring and non-compliance alerts. 2. Not Verifying Possible Matches The OIG recommends that screening of employees and other relevant individuals is conducted on at least a monthly basis, but a once-a-month search may not be enough to properly identify and confirm potential matches with all sanction and exclusion lists. Remember that exclusion lists like the System for Awards Management (SAM) may have minimal information on a potential match; relying solely on that information could lead to erroneous or missed matches. Therefore, when your organization is presented with a possible match from a program like Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring, we recommend taking additional steps to verify that match. This process could be as simple as reviewing identifying information (such as a date of birth or a first/last name) to confirm or rule out a possible match based on the data you have available. At other times, you may need to visit the sanctioning agency’s website or reach out to their email contact to verify a possible match with more identifying information, such as a social security number. 3. Running Out of Date Batch Files To successfully identify OIG compliance risks, you first need an accurate database to compare against. When conducting your monthly checks, ensure that your batch files are up to date and reflect your current roster of employees/vendors/etc. If you’re using a program like Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring to automatically run checks on certain days of the month, you’ll need to ensure that you’re only running the files that you need to run to avoid unnecessary usage on your account. 4. Report Retention As unpleasant as they are, compliance audits are a fact of life for healthcare organizations. To avoid unnecessary stress and wasted time and energy when they do appear, you should be proactively retaining your monthly reports in a clear, organized manner. We recommend having a designated location for your compliance checks (both those done monthly and for individual providers) and ensuring reports are named and organized in a way that everything is easy to locate when needed. Improve Your Compliance Monitoring Program If your compliance monitoring program has stumbled into any of these pitfalls or other errors harming your ability to identify and resolve compliance concerns, there’s good news: These risks are easily resolved — and easy to avoid in the future with the right monitoring program. Our Provider Staff Sanction Monitoring solution takes a proactive, automated approach to compliance monitoring to reduce these risks from occurring and deliver faster, more comprehensive identification of non-compliant healthcare providers. Learn more about how the program works — and how Valenz can customize a solution for your unique organization needs — by contacting one of our team members today. Connect With Us to Learn More", "articleSection" : [ "Common OIG Compliance Risk Areas", "1. Not Searching all the Correct Sources", "2. Not Verifying Possible Matches", "3. Running Out of Date Batch Files", "4. Report Retention", "Improve Your Compliance Monitoring Program" ], "author" : { "@id" : "https://blog.valenzhealth.com/author/valenz-health", "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Vālenz Health®", "url" : "https://blog.valenzhealth.com/author/valenz-health" }, "dateModified" : "2026-04-17T12:34:54-04:00", "datePublished" : "2025-07-18T06:30:00-04:00", "description" : "Learn about common OIG compliance risk areas and errors and how to prevent them in your monitoring procedures.", "headline" : "OIG Compliance Risk Areas: 4 Common Errors for Healthcare Organizations", "image" : "https://1769848.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1769848/Pensive%20businesswoman%20looking%20at%20a%20paper%20while%20working%20on%20her%20laptop%20at%20her%20desk.jpeg", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.valenzhealth.com/oig-compliance-risks", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.valenzhealth.com/", "@type" : "Organization", "areaServed" : "United States of America (USA)", "contactPoint" : { "@type" : "ContactPoint", "areaServed" : "United States of America (USA)", "availableLanguage" : [ "English" ], "contactType" : "Customer Service", "email" : "info@valenzhealth.com", "telephone" : "866-762-4455", "url" : "https://www.valenzhealth.com/contact/" }, "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.valenzhealth.com/hubfs/web/logo.svg" }, "name" : "Vālenz Health®", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.youtube.com/@valenzhealth", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/valenz/" ], "url" : "https://www.valenzhealth.com/" }, "url" : "https://blog.valenzhealth.com/oig-compliance-risks", "wordCount" : 823 } ```