(a) Civil monetary penalty. A civil monetary penalty is an amount that OPM may impose on a health care provider who commits one of the violations listed in §890.1061. Penalties are intended to protect the integrity of FEHBP by deterring repeat violations by the same provider and by reducing the likelihood of future violations by other providers.

(b) Assessment. An assessment is an amount that OPM may impose on a provider, calculated by reference to the claims involved in the underlying violations. Assessments are intended to recognize monetary losses, costs, and damages sustained by OPM as the result of a provider's violations.

(c) Definitions. In §§890.1060 through 890.1072:

Penalty means civil monetary penalty; and

Penalties and assessments may connote the singular or plural forms of either of those terms, and may represent either the conjunctive or disjunctive sense.

(d) Relationship to debarment and suspension. In addition to imposing penalties and assessments, OPM may concurrently debar or suspend a provider from participating in the FEHBP on the basis of the same violations.

(e) Relationship to other penalties provided by law. The penalties, assessments, debarment, and suspension imposed by OPM are in addition to any other penalties that may be prescribed by law or regulation administered by an agency of the Federal Government or any State.