|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Senior Citizen Alerts
Fraud of Senior Citizens by Home Health Agencies is
Target for Government Initiative
Initial efforts to focus on Greater Los Angeles and
Houston areas
July 17, 2007 An alarm about fraud of senior
citizens by home health care providers was raised today by an
announcement that Health and Human Services will begin an initiative
designed to protect Medicare beneficiaries from fraudulent Home Health
Agency (HHA) providers.
This two-year project will focus on preventing
deceptive providers from operating in the greater Los Angeles and
Houston areas, according to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.
HHS is working to protect the public from fraud by
stopping it before it happens, Leavitt said.
Our joint effort with the Department of Justice
shows that we have zero tolerance for those who would prey on the
system. This demonstration project works to bar unlawful Home Health
Agencies from entering the Medicare billing system.
In May, HHS and the Department of Justice announced
the establishment of a multi-agency team of federal, state and local
investigators designed specifically to combat Medicare fraud through the
use of real-time analysis of Medicare billing.
The HHA project follows the announcement of a
demonstration project targeting another high-risk industry, fraudulent
billing by suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics,
orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) in South Florida and Los Angeles. The
HHA demonstration is being implemented in the greater Los Angeles and
Houston areas, which have shown a high frequency of home health care
fraud.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
will now require home health care providers who operate in the greater
Los Angeles and Houston areas to immediately resubmit applications to be
considered a qualified Medicare HHA.
Those who fail to reapply within 60 days of
receiving a notice to reapply from CMS will have their Medicare billing
privileges revoked. Also, home health care providers that fail to
report a change in ownership or change of address; have owners,
partners, directors or managing employees who have had a felony
conviction within the last 10 years; or, no longer meet each and every
provider enrollment requirement; will have their billing privileges
revoked.
In addition to the reapplication process, the HHA
demonstration will require a State survey for any HHA that underwent an
ownership change within the last two years.
Over the past year, CMS and the HHS Office of
Inspector General (OIG) have identified and documented a significant
number of problems involving HHAs in the greater Los Angeles and Houston
areas. With HHA billings to Medicare increasing by over 60 percent in
some counties and with the number of HHA providers increasing by as much
as 150 percent in others, these two geographic areas are in need of
immediate scrutiny.
We are focusing our demonstration projects
initially in the areas of highest fraud incidence, said CMS Acting
Administrator Leslie Norwalk. Enhancing our review of these providers
will go a long way to eliminate those who do not meet the needs of
beneficiaries and the promises of the program.
Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell
added The financial independence and security of older people through
the identification and prevention of Medicare fraud is vitally
important. Senior Medicare Patrol volunteers across the country play an
important role in educating our older Americans and their caregivers on
how to identify and report suspected health care fraud.
HHS has several programs to help Medicare
beneficiaries protect themselves against fraud. The Senior Medicare
Patrol Program, established by the Administration on Aging, educates and
assists beneficiaries in protecting their Medicare information,
detecting Medicare billing errors and reporting potential health care
fraud and abuse.
Instances of potential Medicare fraud can be
reported to the OIG at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477) or
HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
