Home Health & Hospice Week

The HHS Office of Inspector General is keeping hospice fraud on its radar.

“In the past year, OIG launched an initiative to combat hospice fraud in regions identified as areas of particular concern,” HHS says in its recent 2015 Annual Financial Report.

“Fraud schemes shift over time, but certain Medicare services have been consistent targets,” HHS notes in the report. “They include services provided by … home health and hospice agencies,” the agency adds. “CMS’s contractors play a key role in fighting Medicare fraud. However, CMS is not realizing the full potential of contractors to proactively identify fraud and address other program integrity concerns.”