Six Republican members of the U.S. Home of Representatives have written a letter to the Workplace of Inspector Normal (OIG) of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS), denouncing fraud within the house well being care trade and calling for stronger oversight.

The letter, despatched on Friday, January 9, by members of the Home Vitality and Commerce and Methods and Means Committees, requested a gathering with the OIG to debate the OIG’s information of Medicare fraud in house well being businesses and what actions may restrict such fraud.

“Sadly, [home health agencies] and hospice applications have been main targets for fraud,” the letter mentioned. “Fraudulent actors within the system not solely waste scarce federal sources, but in addition jeopardize affected person care and tarnish the reputations of excellent actors.”

The letter was signed by Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla), Morgan Griffith (R-Va), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky), Dr. John Joyce (R-Pa), David Schweikert (R-Ariz) and Jason Smith (R-Mo).

A few of the measures lawmakers urged to deal with fraud within the house care and hospice industries included suspending funds and imposing enrollment moratoriums.

One of many subjects for lawmakers to debate was Medicare fraud at house well being and hospice businesses in Los Angeles County, California. The province has turn into a poster little one for fraud within the house well being care trade, and these six lawmakers aren’t the primary to ask federal businesses to deal with it.

One other Republican lawmaker, Claudia Tenney (RN.Y.), talked about fraud within the space in a November letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies (CMS). Tenney’s letter requested Oz to research house well being care fraud and reevaluate knowledge doubtlessly skewed by fraud that decide fee charges for Medicare house well being care.

“CMS can not proceed to permit corrupt knowledge, compounded by years of negligence beneath the Biden administration, to dictate future Medicare reimbursements for respectable suppliers in my district and throughout America,” Tenney wrote.

Stakeholders within the house care trade have broadly supported anti-fraud measures. Put up-acute supplier AccentCare is amongst these calling on CMS to exclude outlier or fraud-tainted claims when setting fee charges for house well being care.

“Robust oversight and enforcement are essential to defending sufferers, saving taxpayer {dollars} and sustaining entry to high quality care,” an AccentCare spokesperson instructed Dwelling Well being Care Information in an electronic mail in regards to the lawmakers’ letter. “Selections have to be primarily based on correct knowledge in order that respectable suppliers throughout the nation are usually not punished for fraud dedicated by others.”

Dallas-based AccentCare gives private care, house care, palliative care and hospice care in additional than 250 places in 32 states and Washington, D.C.