Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts Decries Fraud Renews Call for Stricter Oversight or New Agencies, Moratorium
Boston, MA – The arrest on September 16th of the owner/proprietor of a Massachusetts home health agency on charges of defrauding the federal Medicare program should be seen as a wake-up call to federal and state officials that unlimited expansion of home health agencies is threat to the Medicare program and its beneficiaries. The Home Care Alliance applauds the efforts of the federal Office of the Inspector General in identifying the aberrant behavior of this agency and reiterates its call for the federal government to do more to target abusive agencies.
“Home health agencies in Massachusetts work hard to comply with all federal and state rules and are an integral part of building a more patient centric, cost effective health care system,” said Patricia Kelleher, Executive Director of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, a trade association for more than 190 Medicare certified and private pay home care agencies. “We have been calling for more directive enforcement efforts aimed at outlier agencies, as opposed to blanket enforcement that burdens the high quality, highly ethical providers.
The Home Care Alliance has met with staff at CMS regularly over the past four years urging that there be: 1) More active enforcement of existing Medicare program rules, and 2) A more rigorous set of rules for entry into the industry in order reduce the growth of unqualified agencies.
The Alliance wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebellius in 2011 and 2012 urging her to immediately place a moratorium on the enrollment of new home health providers into the Medicare program. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) also made this recommendation in their March 2011 report to Congress, and the Secretary was granted the authority by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to suspend payments to providers or establish a moratorium on new provider enrollment.
The Alliance has also filed state legislation to require any new agency to file and be granted a state “certificate of need” before applying for federal Medicare certification.
“The home health agencies in Massachusetts have worked hard to gain the trust of patients and families, as well as our physician and hospital partners,” said Beverly Pavasaris, President of the Home Care Alliance and Executive Director of the Brockton VNA. “Agencies such as mine, with more than 100 years of proving home based care, will not sit idly and let our good work and reputation be damaged by individuals intent on committing fraud.”
About Home Care Alliance
The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is a non-profit trade association providing representation, education, communication, advocacy, and – ultimately – a voice for the state’s home care. The Alliance’s mission is to unite people and organizations to advance community health through care and services in the home. In addition to their home care services guide, their resources give members and friends ready access to important industry information such as government regulations and legislation, educational opportunities, the Alliance’s publications, and group purchase services.
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