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Monthly vs. annual screening: what OIG's own guidance says

Reviewed against the source · HHS Office of Inspector General, SAM.gov

HHS-OIG's guidance recommends screening every month rather than less often, but it does not prohibit a slower cadence: its Special Advisory Bulletin says providers are not required by statute or regulation to check the LEIE and may decide how frequently to do so. The bulletin states: “OIG updates the LEIE monthly, so screening employees and contractors each month best minimizes potential overpayment and CMP liability.”

Why isn't an annual check as protective as a monthly one?

Because the LEIE changes monthly (HHS-OIG's FAQ: “Both versions of the LEIE are generally updated by the middle of each month”). Our reasoning, not OIG's: an annual check only catches what changed since last year's check, while a monthly one catches what changed since last month. For an organization billing federal health programs, that gap is the exposure the bulletin describes as overpayment and CMP liability — see what happens if you employ an excluded provider.

Sources

Where this page says “our characterisation,” “our reasoning,” or “we measured,” the statement is CFExclusion's own rather than a government source's. CFExclusion is a private service and is not affiliated with HHS, OIG, CMS, or SAM.gov.

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A $25 report turns that search into a dated, signed record: proof this name was checked against all 43 sources — HHS-OIG LEIE, SAM.gov, and 41 state Medicaid lists — on a specific date, clear or not. See a sample report →

A single check is a snapshot: HHS-OIG replaces the LEIE around the middle of every month, so a result from last month no longer reflects who's on the list today. OIG's own guidance recommends screening your full workforce and vendors on that same monthly cycle — a best practice it states plainly, not a legal mandate. What OIG's guidance actually says about monthly screening → · See the monthly screening service →

For new federal enforcement actions and court records every day, see CourtPulse (courtpls.com).

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