Representatives of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are reaching out to speak with hundreds of hospital officials nationwide to provide feedback to HHS and to Congress about the most difficult challenges that hospitals are currently facing in responding to COVID-19. The OIG emphasizes that this outreach and discussion “is not an investigation or audit of your individual hospital.” The approximately 20-minute interview seeks current information regarding 1) challenges, 2) strategies that hospitals are using to address challenges, and 3) recommendations for how Government can best support your efforts. The request is for any available administrators to provide input, such as a critical incident commander or an administrator in emergency preparedness, infection control or general hospital operations. OIG conducted similar interviews during the 2016 Ebola outbreak.
