Hospice of Arizona, L.C., its related entity American Hospice Management LLC, and their parent corporation American Hospice Management Holdings LLC have agreed to pay $12 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false reimbursement claims to Medicare for ineligible hospice services, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. Between Sept. […]
Category: Medicare
Medicare margins to home health agencies are projected to be about 11.8% in 2013, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) in its latest report to Congress, representing a decrease from previous years. Payments to home health agencies have consistently and “substantially” exceeded costs, according to MedPAC, with Medicare margins reaching 14.8% in 2011 […]
The American Association for Homecare (AAHC) is making a formal request to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate Medicare’s competitive bidding program. The request stems from the unwillingness of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to share information about the bidding system, such as how […]
Health Net Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of Health Net Inc. (NYSE: HNT) has announced funding grants to help bolster home health care delivery in Los Angeles County. Through $150,000 in grant funding provided to Northeast Valley Health Corporation and 27 additional Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community clinics, a new in-home health care […]
Techota, LLC has agreed to pay $150,000 in a federal lawsuit that it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently billing Medicare for unnecessary services. The lawsuit stems from allegations that Techota made false claims for payments to Medicare for home health services that were not medically reasonable or necessary, or were not provided under […]
Hospice enrollment saves Medicare dollars and improves quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries among many enrollment periods, even shorter ones, according to new research published in the March issue of Health Affairs. Previously, the Medicare hospice benefit has been seen as producing savings only for patients enrolled 53-105 days before death, but new data shows […]
The upcoming sequestration, which cuts Medicare reimbursements to health care providers by 2%, could be the straw that breaks home health care agencies’ backs in an industry that has been experiencing rate cuts for years. The impact of sequestration is expected to be particularly acute in the healthcare industry, according to public accounting and consulting […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added several new Q&As to address recent therapy reassessment policy changes. Most notably, CMS included a detailed scenario to assist home health agencies in determining which visits are non-covered when a reassessment is missed. The updated Home Health Therapy Questions & Answers notes that the classifications of […]
Nursing homes in Texas say state and federal funding cuts to are presenting a “dangerous strain” on their ability to care for older, more medically complex patients. In a survey of 100 nursing homes representing 10% of the state’s nursing home population, the Texas Health Care Association found more than 65% have made staff changes, […]
Home health and hospice company Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) reported a net income of $7.2 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2012 on an adjusted basis, a 50.5% decrease from the previous year’s fourth quarter proceeds of $14.5 million. For all of 2012, earnings attributable to Amedisys were down nearly 51% to $32.8 million. […]
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