Home Health & Hospice Week

Big Brother is watching, and that could mean more survey hassles for Medicare providers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is getting serious about complaints against health care providers after criticism from the HHS Office of Inspector General and General Accounting Office. The watchdog agencies said CMS doesn't do enough to ensure that beneficiaries receive care in safe environments. In response, CMS is establishing a new database to track and respond to complaints or problems at home health agencies, hospices and other health care entities. As a result, investigators may be quicker to reach your door after receiving a complaint against your organization. In an Aug. 22 Federal Register notice, CMS unveils the ASPEN Complaints/Incidents Tracking System (ACTS), a system of records designed to "track and process complaints and incidents reported against Medicare/Medicaid/CLIA providers and suppliers and to maintain information on laboratory directors and owners." The national system, which reflects CMS' increased emphasis on quality of care, will be used for all certified providers and suppliers, the notice says. Before ACTS, minimal complaint data was collected in the OSCAR system, CMS notes. Editor's Note: The notice is at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a030822c.html.