Home Health & Hospice Week

It’s not just Medicare that is putting payments for non-hospice services to hospice enrollees under the microscope.

Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor audited claims paid by MassHealth for dual-eligible members who were receiving hospice care from January 2015 through July 2019, OSA says in a release. “During this period, MassHealth paid $620,584,171 in claims for hospice-related services to non-hospice providers for dual-eligible members,” the state office declares.

MassHealth paid for durable medical equipment, profes­sional health services, ambulance, and inpatient services that should have been covered under the Medicare hospice benefit, the state determined. Last October, it reminded hospices they must submit “both a MassHealth Hospice Election Form and a Medicare Hospice Election Form” upon election and revocation, according to the release.