Tuesday, January 14, 2020

OIG Reports on Home Health Agency Infection Control Audit

Home health agencies in the United States are subject to strict regulatory scrutiny, and data-driven investigative practices are causing an increasing number of home health care providers to face accusations of health care fraud. In this article, the attorneys in our firm’s Health Care Practice Group discuss what home health agencies and other home health care providers need to know when being audited by a ZPIC. • Using a variety of methods to instruct staff on the appropriate actions to take if they develop symptoms or are exposed to a person with known or suspected COVID-19. Seven of the HHAs audited developed policies and procedures, COVID-19 exposure decision trees, and reporting systems to record symptoms and infections and track actions taken by staff and management.

home health agency audits

Home care/hospice providers need policies and procedures for disciplining employee-related non-compliance with standards of conduct, regulations, and code of ethics. Part of our service is ensuring staff in-home care/hospice understand the seriousness of following internal procedures and policies. Some ZPICs will also take adverse action against home health agencies based upon billing practices that were legal when implemented, but which are prohibited under current Medicare regulations. The Medicare billing regulations change frequently, and it takes an experienced health care attorney to be able to spot ZPIC allegations that rely on inapplicable post-billing standards. Home health agencies play a critical role in the United States health care system. They provide critical service to patients in need, taking the burden off of family members who simply do not have the time, resources, and expertise to care for their loved ones independently.

Duales Studium in der Wirtschaftsprüfung - Audit Banking (w/m/d)

Our experts can review and establish new reporting mechanisms ranging from toll-free reporting numbers to suggestion boxes. We assess as well as develop internal policies and procedures for providers that need them. We have home health/hospice policy experts with vast expertise in handling all aspects of a hospice or home health provider’s compliance program and risk areas.

home health agency audits

Whether you’ve been notified of an official audit process or are simply working to plan for the eventual possibility, careful preparation is key to surviving home health audits. If you’re ready to ensure your caregiver training compliance is never a problem in an audit, click here to learn more about our reporting features. Our internal audits/monitoring focuses on many areas the most notable being OIG’s risk areas, patient admission, compliance with Medicare, and substandard care areas.

(Senior) Internal Auditor - Consulting (Financial Services) (w/m/d)

While AdvanceMed serves the Midwest, other regions of the country are covered by different UPICs. In the West — which also includes Alaska and Hawaii — and Southwest, it’s Maryland-based Qlarant Integrity Solutions. Meanwhile, CMS contracts Florida-based SafeGuard Services to cover the Northeast and Southeast. When there are more red flags, the UPIC may decide to open an investigation or audit.

home health agency audits

“I hired Nick Oberheiden as my attorney after I had an unfortunate situation with the federal government and it has been a life-saving decision. His expertise and knowledge along with his commitment is superior and of utmost importance in federal cases. Nick has kept his word throughout this very stressful process and helped me receive the best possible outcome. Dr. Nick Oberheiden is a national litigation and trial criminal defense attorney who practices exclusively in the area of federal law. Implement claims processing edits and improve existing edits to prevent the most common billing errors.

IN DEPTH HOME HEALTH CARE AUDITS – THERAPY RECORDS

While most hospices monitor internal controls internally, a professional third party such as Corporate Investigation Consulting is best suited for obvious reasons. We warmly welcome candidates of diverse origin, background, ability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and personality. Another fundamental value at State Street is active engagement with our communities around the world, both as a partner and a leader. You will have tools to help balance your professional and personal life, paid volunteer days, matching gift programs and access to employee networks that help you stay connected to what matters to you. The team you will be joining plays an important role in the overall success of the organization. Across the globe, institutional investors rely on us to help them manage risk, respond to challenges, and drive performance and profitability.

home health agency audits

• Policies and procedures that required daily COVID-19 screenings for staff conducted and documented prior to starting the workday to assess for symptoms, possible exposure, and recent travel. A theory of maternal engagement with public health nurses and family visitors. If you are the site owner , please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details , so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue. Still, Almost Family is continuing to fold audit reforms into its state-by-state approach to policy advocacy. “The upshot is to give the agency an opportunity to respond rather than be exposed to a devastating audit,” Fleming said. Fleming also sees an issue with the extrapolation process, with formulas that look at claims several years back.

There data analysis shows they have only missed these requirements 3 to 4 times per month resulting in an average loss of $3500. During a routine review of records the content of the reassessment visits was incomplete with very repetitive information and no clear support for ongoing therapy in 50% of the cases reviewed. Calculating the removal of visits due to the reassessment not meeting intent, the average revenue loss per record was $3000. Considering that reassessments have been required for more than 2 years, the agency estimates cumulative risk to be $16,000,000.

If the agency is paper based, copies of all documents mentioned above should be gathered and shipped on a mutually agreed upon date. When she’s not reporting, Bailey likes exploring Chicago for brunch spots and workout classes. Previously, she worked in book and magazine publishing before becoming a tv reporter. If a home health agency is still uncomfortable, it can request a CMS contact to ensure the representative is legitimate. The letter will explain which records the UPIC is requesting, where and when an agency needs to send them, along with why the inquiry is being made. In the event a UPIC needs to contact a home health agency to investigate allegations, they’ll start with a phone call or letter, Long said.

Establishing Corrective Actions

Your ZPIC audit could lead to further investigation, and this could prove hugely disruptive for your business while potentially leading to civil or criminal charges. With serious business impacts on home health agency owners, making the audit process more transparent, with more limitations, could lessen the onus owners feel when faced with a notice of audit. Villasenor says this high affirmation rate proves his business has high operational standards.

home health agency audits

Corporate Investigation Consulting can assess internal processes and set up compliance programs to help home health and hospice providers avoid common non-compliance problems like penalties and lawsuits. Our compliance programs include everything from audits to monitoring operations like billing, care provision, etc., to ensure they are at par with regulations. There are several reasons why agencies may be subjected to home health audits, including consumer complaints, as well as issues with appropriate documentation of services rendered. While audits are more common for home health service providers, non-medical home care agencies can also be subject to audits if they are billing Medicare and Medicaid. • Updating infection control education for staff, patients, and caregivers to be consistent with the latest guidance from CMS and CDC. The compliant providers provided infection control education through onsite supervision, online training, inservices, and posters and handouts for patients and caregivers.

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