OIG Publishes Work Plan for 2013 Includes Areas of Review for Home Health & Hospice

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has published their Work Plan for 2013.  The plan summarizes new and ongoing reviews and activities that the OIG plans to pursue with respect to Health and Human Services programs and operations during the next fiscal year and beyond.

This OIG Work Plan includes seven specific items for Medicare Certified Home Health Agencies.  It includes two specific items for Medicare Certified Hospices.   This also includes five specific items for other home health services, community home health services, and waiver home health services.

To give a more detail explanation of this rather complicated issue we have created a FREE On-Demand Webinar.  The On-Demand Webinar is available 24 hours per day 7 days a week.

To view the Free On-Demand please utilize the following link:

http://youtu.be/CZEjLTt4mmM

Here We Go Again! The OIG Recommends CMS to Require Surety Bonds for Home Health Agencies

OIG Surety Bonds

Here We Go Again! The OIG Recommends CMS to Require Surety Bonds for Home Health Agencies    The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 established a surety bond requirement for home health agencies. To implement the Balanced Budget Act requirement, CMS promulgated a final rule on January 5, 1998 requiring each home health agency to obtain a surety bond that is the greater of $50,000 or 15 percent of the annual amount paid to the home health agency by Medicare. In 1998 both the House of Representatives and the Senate issued joint resolutions expressing disapproval with CMS's rule. This was never voted upon, but CMS postponed the implementation dates indefinitely. The OIG report showed from 2007 to 2011 CMS has $354,345,843 in uncollected overpayments from home health agencies. They stated if all home health agencies were required to maintain a $50,000 surety bond CMS could have collected an additional $39,103,854. They do not provide any information on the cost to the home health agencies to obtain these $50,000 surety bonds or proposed any adjustments in home health Medicare payments. It looks like another unfunded Medicare mandate. To give a detailed explanation of this rather complicated issue we have created a FREE On-Demand Webinar. The On-Demand Webinar is available 24 hours per day 7 days a week. To view the Free On-Demand please utilize the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB0Ss1jLg1g&feature=plcp

Solving the Puzzle - Las Vegas January 2013

Have you connected on Linked In with us or joined the group, Home Health Care Agencies and Hospices Workshops and Seminars?

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Home-Health-Care-Agencies-Hospices-3210819?gid=3210819&trk=hb_side_g

Have you liked our Facebook Page, Dixon Healthcare Solutions  Inc.?  https://www.facebook.com/DixonHealthcareSolutionsInc?ref=hl

Look for posted that will link you to a discount for our January 2013 Vegas seminars on these pages, if you register and pay for the seminars by October 31, 2012.

Hope to see you in Vegas

Margaret Dixon