Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

As always, the Medicare program will retain its ability to terminate home health agencies for noncompliance with the Conditions of Participation (COPs). But if the new alternative sanctions proposal is finalized, surveyors will also wield these tools when they find condition-level or repeated deficiencies: Civil Money Penalties. Surveyors can impose CMPs on a per instance or per day basis. Fines will range from $500 to $10,000 per day or instance. HHAs can appeal the CMPs, but will receive a 35 percent lower CMP rate if they forego an appeal. CMPs will begin accruing on the date of the survey and will be due 15 days from the final administrative notice of the penalties, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in the 2013 home health prospective payment system rule published in the July 13 Federal Register. Temporary management. A CMS representative or CMS "authorized agent" would be appointed. The [...]