Home Health & Hospice Week

There’s no rest for the weary in the HHS Office of Inspector General’s latest Top Management & Performance Challenges Facing HHS report.

“Some types of providers and suppliers pose heightened risks to the financial security of Medicare,” the OIG emphasizes in the report. “For instance, OIG and [the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serivces] have identified especially high rates of improper payments for home health, hospice, and skilled nursing facility (SNF) care; durable medical equipment (DME); drug testing services; and certain hospital services,” it says.

“CMS has taken corrective actions for Medicare FFS by focusing on specific service areas with high improper payment rates. But more must be done,” the OIG insists.

“OIG work in areas such as hospice care, home health, and personal care services consistently demonstrates that patients may be vulnerable to fraud and abuse in home and community-based settings,” the OIG adds in another section of the report. “Ensuring that home-based services meet quality of care requirements remains important,” the watchdog agency maintains.

The 53-page report is at https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/top-challenges/2022/2022-tmc.pdf.