OIG Risk Assessment in Action 2026; Turning Guidance into Practice

The OIG’s 2023 Compliance Program Guidance places greater emphasis on establishing a risk assessment process and the proactive identification of risk. For many healthcare organizations, developing this assessment process and monitoring risk on an ongoing basis can be a challenge. In this session we will discuss how to put the OIG guidance into practice and share a case study outlining one organizations approach to aligning established practices alongside the opening of a new hospital and additional service lines.

• Understand the OIG expectations related to risk identification  
• Share examples of risk assessment processes and what to consider when determining the best approach for your organization  
• Walk through a risk assessment case study that applies the OIG framework and considers the nuances around the organization’s structure and resources  
• Identify key OIG focus areas and emerging compliance risks relevant to your organization 
• Develop practical steps to implement a structured risk assessment process 
• Learn methods for prioritizing and scoring risks to focus on the highest-impact areas 
• Explore monitoring, reporting, and documentation strategies to support ongoing compliance oversight 
• Apply lessons from real-world examples to enhance your organization’s risk management framework 

• OIG Risk Assessment Guidance and Introduction 
• Key Risk Assessment Components put into Practice 
• Implementation Steps 
• Tools and Best Practices 
• OIG Focus Areas 
• Case study: Applying the OIG framework during new hospital openings and service line expansion 
• Risk prioritization and scoring techniques 
• Monitoring, reporting, and documentation strategies 
• Common challenges and practical solutions for sustaining the risk assessment process 
• Integration of risk assessment results into compliance work plans and audits 
• Live Q&A Session

• Compliance Officers and Compliance Managers 
• Quality and Performance Improvement Leaders 
• Risk Management Professionals 
• Revenue Cycle Leadership 
• Internal Audit Professionals 
• Healthcare Executives and Administrators 
• Legal and Regulatory Affairs Staff 
• Board Members involved in compliance oversight  

Rachel Pugliano, RHIT, CHC, CRCR | Director, Healthcare Consulting 

Rachel has over 25 years of experience focusing compliance programming and mid-cycle of the revenue cycle functions to include coding, compliance, documentation improvement, revenue integrity and charge capture. Rachel assists clients with the improvement of their revenue cycle functions as well as maintaining compliance with government regulations. Rachel assesses compliance programs for the organization as well as assists with the risk assessment process. She assists with development of coding compliance reviews and documentation improvement strategies for both hospitals and medical group practices. Rachel is a member of AHIMA, HCCA and is on the board for the South Texas HFMA chapter serving as Past-President.