Healthcare organizations have another reminder that exclusion screening is far more than a monthly administrative task. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) has updated its List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) for June 2026, adding several individuals and organizations whose conduct reflects the agency’s continued focus on Medicare integrity, billing accuracy, and healthcare fraud prevention.
The latest update comes during an active period for federal healthcare enforcement. Alongside the June LEIE update, the OIG has announced new fraud enforcement actions, audit findings, compliance guidance, and its 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, signaling continued scrutiny of providers participating in federally funded healthcare programs.
Recent Additions to the HHS-OIG Exclusions List
The June update includes several notable exclusions involving alleged false claims, failure to cooperate with federal investigations, and improper billing practices.
Myers Southern, LLC Excluded for Seven Years
Myers Southern, LLC, of Bartow, Florida, has been excluded from participation in all federally funded healthcare programs for seven years.
According to the HHS-OIG, the exclusion resulted from the company’s failure to provide information requested through an official OIG subpoena. Investigators required the information to determine whether Medicare payments were owed and to calculate the amounts involved. Failure to comply with an OIG subpoena can result in administrative sanctions, including exclusion from federal healthcare programs.
Florida Physician and Pain Management Practice Receive Five-Year Exclusions
Dr. Nathan Hanflink and the Pain Management Institute have also been excluded for five years.
An HHS-OIG investigation determined that Medicare Part B claims had been submitted for chronic care management services that investigators concluded were never provided to patients.
Federal healthcare programs reimburse chronic care management only when providers meet specific documentation and service delivery requirements. Billing for services that were not rendered remains one of the agency’s key enforcement priorities.
Sunshine Care Partners and Owner Rusty McMurray Receive Ten-Year Exclusions
The most significant exclusion announced in the June update involves Sunshine Care Partners and its owner, Rusty McMurray.
Both have been excluded from federally funded healthcare programs for ten years after the OIG determined they knowingly submitted claims for complex chronic care management services that beneficiaries did not actually receive.
According to the agency, employees primarily performed routine activities such as checking the temperature of people entering the facility, cleaning and sanitizing front desk areas, and organizing paperwork. Those activities were billed as complex chronic care management services despite not meeting Medicare reimbursement requirements.
Although each enforcement action involves different circumstances, they all reinforce the OIG’s ongoing emphasis on accurate billing, proper documentation, and provider accountability.
Understanding the HHS-OIG Exclusions List
The List of Excluded Individuals and Entities, commonly known as the LEIE, is the federal government’s official database of individuals and organizations barred from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded healthcare programs.
Anyone listed in the LEIE cannot receive payment, directly or indirectly, for items or services provided under federal healthcare programs. The restriction also extends to services they order, prescribe, or support administratively when those activities relate to federally reimbursed care.
Healthcare organizations are responsible for ensuring they do not employ or contract with excluded individuals in positions connected to federally funded healthcare services.
Why Organizations Should Pay Attention to the LEIE
Many providers associate exclusion screening only with physicians and nurses.
However, the LEIE applies much more broadly.
Organizations should screen:
- Physicians and advanced practice providers delivering reimbursable healthcare services.
- Nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and other licensed clinical professionals.
- Medical coders and billing specialists responsible for Medicare and Medicaid claims.
- Practice managers, executives, and administrative personnel supporting federally funded healthcare operations.
- Contractors, consultants, temporary staff, staffing agencies, and vendors whose work affects reimbursable healthcare services.
Hiring or retaining an excluded individual may expose an organization to civil monetary penalties, repayment obligations, and additional enforcement actions.
How Individuals and Organizations End Up on the LEIE
Federal law authorizes the HHS-OIG to impose both mandatory and permissive exclusions.
Mandatory exclusions generally apply after convictions involving:
- Medicare or Medicaid fraud.
- Patient abuse or neglect.
- Healthcare-related theft or financial misconduct.
- Felony offenses involving controlled substances.
The agency also has discretionary authority to exclude individuals or entities for other reasons.
These include:
- Healthcare license suspension or revocation.
- Submission of false or fraudulent claims.
- Participation in unlawful kickback arrangements.
- Defaulting on certain federal health education loans.
- Other conduct that threatens the integrity of federal healthcare programs.
Monthly Screening Is Now Considered a Compliance Best Practice
The LEIE is updated every month as new exclusions and reinstatements occur.
Because of these frequent updates, healthcare organizations increasingly perform monthly exclusion screening instead of limiting checks to the hiring process.
Routine screening allows compliance teams to identify newly excluded employees, contractors, vendors, or providers before violations occur.
Many organizations now incorporate LEIE verification into:
- New employee onboarding before work begins.
- Monthly workforce compliance reviews covering existing employees.
- Vendor and contractor management programs.
- Medical staff credentialing and provider enrollment.
- Internal compliance audits and risk assessments.
Technology Is Improving Exclusion Screening
Growing healthcare workforces have made manual screening increasingly difficult.
Consequently, many organizations now use automated compliance platforms that compare workforce data against the latest LEIE updates.
Modern screening solutions can:
- Automatically compare employee and vendor databases against newly published exclusions.
- Generate alerts when potential matches are identified.
- Maintain searchable audit trails that simplify regulatory reviews.
- Integrate with credentialing, HR, payroll, and vendor management systems.
Technology improves efficiency, but compliance experts emphasize that potential matches should always be verified using unique identifiers such as Social Security Numbers or Employer Identification Numbers rather than names alone.
June’s Broader Enforcement Activity Reinforces the Message
The June exclusions update forms part of a much broader enforcement effort.
During the same month, the HHS-OIG announced the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, released multiple audit reports identifying Medicare overpayments, issued new compliance guidance, published cybersecurity findings, and updated several enforcement actions involving healthcare providers.
Taken together, these developments demonstrate that federal regulators continue to prioritize fraud prevention, billing accuracy, program integrity, and provider accountability across the healthcare industry.
What Healthcare Organizations Should Do Next
The latest exclusions provide an opportunity for healthcare organizations to review existing compliance programs.
Compliance teams should consider taking the following steps:
- Review the latest LEIE update and compare it against current employee, physician, contractor, and vendor records.
- Investigate any potential matches immediately before allowing continued participation in federally funded healthcare activities.
- Document every screening activity to support future audits and regulatory reviews.
- Review billing and documentation practices, particularly for chronic care management and other Medicare-reimbursable services.
- Ensure staff understand the importance of responding promptly to HHS-OIG requests, subpoenas, and investigative inquiries.
Looking Ahead
The June 2026 LEIE update highlights how exclusion screening has become an essential element of healthcare compliance rather than a routine administrative obligation. The recent exclusions involving Myers Southern, Dr. Nathan Hanflink, Pain Management Institute, Sunshine Care Partners, and Rusty McMurray demonstrate that the HHS-OIG continues to pursue cases involving unsupported Medicare claims, inaccurate billing, and failures to cooperate with federal investigations.
Organizations that regularly monitor the LEIE, strengthen internal compliance controls, and conduct ongoing workforce screening will be better positioned to reduce regulatory risk and maintain eligibility to participate in federally funded healthcare programs.
