The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services found that 15 percent of home health agencies (HHAs) repeated the same deficiency citation on three consecutive surveys, according to a new report. The most frequently repeated deficiency citation is related to patient plans of care. On the three most recent surveys, these HHAs received, on average, twice as many deficiency citations per survey compared with HHAs that did not repeat citations. Most of the HHAs identified with deficiencies are located in six states and tend to be concentrated in highly populated areas. The report also identified opportunities to improve oversight of HHAs by CMS.
The report recommended that CMS use existing survey data to identify patterns of deficiency citations and at-risk HHAs and that CMS require surveyors to review all available survey data prior to each upcoming survey. The report also recommended that CMS implement intermediate sanctions (currently, termination from the Medicare program is the only sanction for poorly performing HHAs). Download the report.
