The home health care revolution is very important, as we can save costs and take advantage of new technologies so that we can monitor seniors and others who would rather stay at home as opposed to more time in the hospital or a nursing home.
But with this or any new trend comes the possibility of fraud, and the government is trying to prevent abuses.
A report released yesterday by the Office of the Inspector General, CMS and Contractor Oversight of Home Health Agencies, underscores the need to reform Medicare’s current “pay and chase” practices and advance targeted program integrity reforms, according to the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare.
The report, which examines fraud, waste and abuse and efforts to identify potential fraud and abuse, cites specific geographic areas prone to fraud, waste, and abuse. This confirms research commissioned by the Partnership, which has documented that home health fraud and abuse is isolated to select areas. Analyses of Medicare data commissioned by the Partnership demonstrate that just five states have more than half (53 percent) of all home health agencies experience most of the provider and utilization growth, and consume nearly half (44 percent) of the nation’s total Medicare home health spend occurred in 2010.
Read the entire article and consider this issue as you face medical choices in the future.
