Home Health & Hospice Week

Afederal watchdog agency is continuing its scrutiny of Medicaid home care services, and the results could spell hard times ahead for the benefit.

In a review of paid claims for Medicaid personal care services, the HHS Office of Inspector General found 18 percent were inappropriate because attendants' qualifications were undocumented. Agencies failed to furnish proof of attendants' background checks, age, education, and other qualifications. CMS will work with states to toughen their review practices for such documentation, the agency says in its comments on the OIG report.

Personal care services are under the microscope due to increased spending. Combined state and federal Medicaid expenditures for PCS totaled $9.9 billion in 2006, an increase of 20 percent since 2004, the OIG notes in the report online at http://go.usa.gov/1Ab.