Get ready folks, those of you with freestanding and leased Inpatient Units be aware:
In my March 24, 2016 Newsletter Don Schumacher CEO of NHPCO spoke about Medicare Part A, B and D “Leakage”. Thursday March 31, 2016, the HHS Office of Inspector General released a report on the use and misuse of hospice inpatient care in the Medicare Hospice Benefit, entitled, “Hospices Inappropriately Billed Medicare Over $250 Million for General Inpatient Care.”
The OIG recommends the following to CMS in response to their report:
- Increase its oversight of hospice GIP claims and review Part D payments for drugs for hospice beneficiaries.
- Ensure that a physician is involved in the decision to use GIP.
- Conduct prepayment reviews for lengthy GIP stays.
- Increase surveyor efforts to ensure that hospices meet care planning requirements.
- Establish additional enforcement remedies for poor hospice performance.
- Follow up on inappropriate GIP stays, inappropriate Part D payments, and hospices that provided poor-quality care.