Home Health & Hospice Week

CMS has lost millions by not requiring bonds.

In yet another move that would burden legitimate providers of Medicare home health services, the HHS Office of Inspector General urges Medicare to require surety bonds for home health agencies.

Reaching back to a 2012 report on the topic, the OIG includes the recommendation in its compendium of top 25 unimplemented recommen­dations for the Department of Health and Human Services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “should implement the home health agency surety bond requirement,” says the report, Solutions to Reduce Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in HHS Programs: OIG’s Top Recommendations.

“CMS could have recovered at least $39 million in uncollected overpayments between 2007 and 2011 if it had required home health agencies to obtain $50,000 in surety bonds,” as allowed by law, the OIG maintains. “Surety bonds could help protect Medicare against fraudulent home health agencies.”

CMS is “currently evaluating its options in implementing a surety bond requirement,” says the report at https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/compendium/files/compendium2019.pdf.