Home Health & Hospice Week

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has removed home health agencies from Recovery Audit Contractor prepayment review edits. But the current impact should be minimal, because RACs’ prepay review edits didn’t generate any ADRs for HHAs anyway, notes Medicare Ad-ministrative Contractor National Government Ser-vices in a message to providers. CMS first implemented its prepay review program in fall 2012 (see Eli’s HCW, Vol. XXI, No. 30).

In fact, all RAC edits for all providers are on "pause" as of Feb. 28, CMS says on its website. The pause will allow current RACs to finish their reviews before CMS transitions to possible new contractors for the next contract cycle, the agency says.

"In addition, a pause in operations will al-low CMS to continue to refine and improve the Med-icare Recovery Audit Program," the agency adds. A link to a list of its planned changes is at www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Monitoring-Programs/Medicare-FFS-Compliance-Programs/Recovery-Audit-Program/Future-Changes.html in the "Downloads" section.

Plus: CMS also is planning to implement a single, nationwide RAC contractor for home health services for the future, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice reports. "It is expected that any new home health RAC will have the authority to review any claims period that takes place during the ‘pause’ period so HHAs should continue to strive for full compliance," the trade group reminds members.