Due to its being “plagued” by allegations of fraud and abuse, home health care is largely to blame for Medicare spending in Dallas County being among the highest in the nation, says a Dallas News report.
Two separate accounts conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and more recently by the Medicare Payments Advisory Commission have indicated Texas trumps other states when it comes to home health billing fraud, with certain counties having particularly high counts.
Most of the difference between the Dallas County and national spending averages was because of the higher use of home health care,” according to the Dallas News report. “Medicare spends an average of $1,624 for home health care for each Medicare beneficiary in Dallas County, while the national average is $546.”
The Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice shares the concern, despite advocating for home-based treatment as a less costly alternative to institutionalized care.
“Certainly nobody, none of our providers appreciates fraudulent agencies,” Rachel Hammon, executive director of the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice, told the Dallas News. “We have fraud and abuse education at every meeting.”
The association will meet to discuss the topic further.
Written by Elizabeth Ecker
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