On July 10, 2013, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced an upgrade to its Exclusions Search along with the July 2013 List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) update. This isn’t the only recent change to this exclusion list. In June 2013, the OIG added new information to the list: the National Provider Identifier, a Waiver, and a Waiver State. With last month’s changes, the OIG released a redesigned exclusions search of the LEIE as well as the upgraded Online Exclusions Database and the LEIE Downloadable Databases. But what do these changes mean for you as an employer? Here is a breakdown of the take-home points and how they will affect your exclusion and sanction screening process.

Old LEIE Format Discontinued in September 2013

In order to accommodate organizations that are still transitioning to the new LEIE format, the OIG will post downloadable LEIE files without the new fields through August 2013 as well as files with the new fields introduced in June 2013 (the National Provider Identifier, a Waiver, and a Waiver state). This will allow organizations to familiarize themselves with the new format while still providing access to the files they are accustomed to. In September 2013, however, the OIG will discontinue the old format and only release files including the new fields. The addition of the NIP will provide another important identifying tool for those searching for excluded individuals and entities.

Monthly LEIE Supplement Files with New Fields

In July, the OIG began offering the monthly supplement files with the new fields. As a best practice, however, the OIG strongly recommends organizations to download the entire LEIE Database with the three additional fields at least once during the transition period through August 2013. The monthly supplement files, as the name suggests, are exactly that—supplemental—and only contain information about new exclusions or reinstatements that occurred in a single month.  These files do not contain the National Provider Identifier or Waiver information about the thousands of records already existing in the LEIE.

12-Month Archive of Monthly Supplement Files

The OIG announced it will only provide access to the monthly supplement files for the previous 12 months. Older material will no longer be available, but the Downloadable LEIE gives organizations access to the latest information on excluded individuals and entities. Monthly supplemental files dated May 2013 and earlier will not include the three new fields introduced in June 2013. Therefore, the best way to access the most comprehensive information is through the latest LEIE.

NPIs Added to 2008 and Newer LEIE Records

The OIG has added National Provider Identifiers to records starting in 2008 and plans to include NPIs moving forward. Not every individual or entity that is excluded will have an NPI to add, however. Consequently, many records will not include information in this field.

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