The work of HHS-OIG-OAS audit teams culminates in a formal audit report written by a writer in each regional office. Each HHS-OIG-OAS audit report undergoes a series of reorganization, refinement, changes, and edits before it is finally issued and signed by the Inspector General and released to the news media and the public.

Several years ago, the evolution of audit results into audit reports was not particularly efficient, because the various responsibilities in the process of developing results into written reports needed improvement. Each auditor drafted a portion of the report before review by a senior auditor; and then the senior auditor in each audit team revised and edited the draft section before another review by the audit manager.

The audit managers reviewed all the sections of the reports drafted by the audit teams and made further changes and edits before presenting the draft report to the RIGAS. The RIGAS reviews all the draft reports generated by his or her regional office and then presents the regional draft report to the DIG in Washington. The office of the DIG reviews each report and returns them to their respective regional office of origin with directions for changes and edits. The RIGAS in each regional office then presents the report to the writer for review and implementation of requests from headquarters. In 2006, the DIG determined that the unnecessary duplication of effort in rewriting the reports at every stage, only to have much of that work...

Since late 2006, headquarters instructed regional OAS offices to incorporate the writer into the process much earlier, to avoid multiple rewrites at intermediate stages. The HHS-OIG-OAS regional offices now include the regional writer as soon as each senior auditor reviews his team's draft sections for procedural compliance and factual accuracy, and presents the draft report to the regional writer without his own edits. The writer submits the draft report to the manager after rewriting and editing, and the manager presents the draft report to the office of the DIG in Washington.
By implementing this improvement in processes, the regional HHS-OIG-OAS offices have decreased report production time significantly, enabling the federal government to conduct more audits, and thereby recover more federal funds for the benefit of HHS programs and beneficiaries, and to ensure compliance with crucial safety regulations that protect the lives, health, and welfare of millions of Americans.

References

Nowalinski, G. (2001) a Brief History of the HHS Office of Inspector General

USDHHS Office of Inspections and Evaluations: Washington, DC.

U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Public Website, Accessed September 9, 2007, at http://oig.hhs.gov/organization/OAS/index.html