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Strategic Plan

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) Strategic Plan 2020–2025 outlines the vision and priorities that guide the office as we carry out our mission to provide objective oversight to promote the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of HHS programs, as well as the health and welfare of the people they serve. Our work ensures that Federal dollars are used for their intended purposes and that eligible beneficiaries receive safe, high-quality services. We are trusted guardians, relied upon by taxpayers, HHS officials, and policymakers to ferret out fraud, waste, and abuse and to recommend sound improvements to program operations. We do this with data-driven reviews and investigations, supported with modern auditing, investigative, and evaluative methods.

This Strategic Plan reflects the values and goals that inspire our work. In all we do, we strive to be impactful, innovative, and people-focused.

We have three clear goals:

  1. Fight fraud, waste, and abuse
  2. Promote quality, safety, and value in HHS programs and for HHS beneficiaries
  3. Advance excellence and innovation.

This plan also reflects current priorities, which range from safeguarding the Medicare trust funds to combating cybersecurity threats to protecting beneficiaries from prescription drug abuse, including opioids. This Strategic Plan is a roadmap to guide our entire multidisciplinary workforce in planning and conducting the most consequential oversight work, optimizing use of our available resources and delivering results for our stakeholders. The plan is dynamic to accommodate a rapidly changing health and human services environment, including emergent threats and vulnerabilities.

Grants and Contracts Strategic Plan

HHS is the largest grant-making agency and fourth-largest contracting agency in the Federal Government. This substantial and diffuse investment of taxpayer dollars aims to provide quality care and early education for children; foster breakthrough research for new medical treatments; protect the Nation from health threats; facilitate access to health services; and support healthy, resilient communities, among many other objectives.

The OIG has designated oversight of public health and human services grants and contracts as a priority area. OIG has developed a strategy to harness skills and expertise across OIG to advance oversight of these funding mechanisms. The HHS-OIG Strategic Plan for Safeguarding the Integrity of HHS Grants and Contracts has three goals:

  1. Strengthen compliance with requirements throughout the grants and contracts life cycle
  2. Promote award practices that achieve program outcomes
  3. Enhance public trust in HHS awards by mitigating fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement

Read the Plan.

Managed Care Strategic Plan

The growth of managed care over the last several years has changed fundamental aspects of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This significant shift transformed how the government pays for and covers health care for approximately 100 million enrollees.

The OIG has designated oversight of managed care as a priority area. OIG has developed a strategy to align its audits, evaluations, investigations, and enforcement of managed care. The HHS-OIG Strategic Plan for Oversight of Managed Care for Medicare and Medicaid has three goals:

  1. Promote access to care for people enrolled in managed care
  2. Provide comprehensive financial oversight
  3. Promote data accuracy and encourage data-driven decisions

Read the plan.

COVID-19 Response Strategic Plan

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and for the delivery of health care and human services to the American people. HHS leads the Federal public health and medical response during public health emergencies.

This plan sets forth the four goals that drive the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) strategic planning and mission execution with respect to HHS’s COVID-19 response and recovery. These goals are to:

  1. Protect people
  2. Protect funds
  3. Protect infrastructure
  4. Promote effectiveness of HHS programs—now and into the future

This plan highlights our main objectives and ongoing and potential OIG work to advance each goal.

Read the plan.