Home Health & Hospice Week

Training resources are available.

Federal officials recently praised home health leadership for taking action to respond to a pandemic or other emergency.

Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services sent a letter to National Association for Home Care & Hospice President Val Halamandaris praising home care's efforts to work with HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other relevant entities on pandemic and emergency preparedness, recognizing NAHC initiatives in that vein.

For educational resources, go to www.nahc.org/pandemic/home.html.

• Look for Medicare to hold payments on all claims during the last 9 days of the federal fiscal year (September 22 through September 30, 2006).

These payment delays are mandated by section 5203 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. No interest will be accrued and no late penalties will be paid to an entity or individual by reason of this one-time hold on payments. All claims held during this time will be paid on October 2, 2006.

This policy only applies to claims subject to payment. It does not apply to full denials, no-pay claims, and other non-claim payments such as periodic interim payments, home health requests for anticipated payments, and cost report settlements.

Please note that payments will not be staggered and no advance payments will be allowed during this nine-day hold, instructs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

For more information, see the MLN Matters article at www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArt-icles/downloads/MM5047.pdf.

• The former owner of one of Michigan's largest home health care companies has pleaded guilty to federal charges of Medicare fraud.

Amjad Khan, 63, of Troy and his brother were indicted in 2003 on charges of stealing more than $1 million through fraudulent bills to Medicare.

Iftakhar Khan, 58, of Bloomfield Hills pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial Sept. 7.

Amjad Khan fled to Pakistan shortly after the indictments but later returned to face the charges. In a plea deal, he can receive up to three years, four months in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 6.

Khan operated Warren-based American Home Health Care, and Iftakhar Khan operated Livonia-based Michigan Rehabilitation and Pain Management.

• Hospices will have to report more information on their Medicare claims, starting Jan. 1, 2007.

A CMS transmittal (Change Request 5245) issued on July 28 spells out the policy changes.

Among the key changes: Services at the continuous home care level of care must be billed using separately dated line items that report the number of hours of care provided in 15-minute increments. CMS will no longer permit rounding to the next higher hour.

In addition, Medicare claims with less than 32 units for the day will be paid at the routine care payment rate.

Change Request 5245 is available online at the CMS Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R1011CP.pdf.