Home health agencies have been slacking a bit when it comes to filing cost reports.  According to Home Health Care Today, MedPAC, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission will have a great influence on what and how the new Administration reforms health care laws.

MedPAC advises congress on what to do based off of Medicare cost reports that are filed in the home health care industry.  It appears that as reimbursement gradually shifted from cost based to prospective payment, home health care agencies have become less worried about filing the cost reports correctly.  This could cause unforeseen consequences in the formation of new health laws, as this data is the only source the government has to view profits and costs in the home health industry.

Thankfully, there is a plan to help repair these mistakes: The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) and the Home Care and Hospice Financial Managers Association (HHFMA) have announced a campaign to educate home health care leaders in filing the cost reports correctly. They also plan to develop a code of conduct for producing these cost reports.  More than 20 percent of home health leaders have been filing error-filled cost reports, and this is the data that MedPAC will be basing their advisory decisions on.

The HHFMA is working diligently to get this moving along, as they have created a task force consisting of consultants and providers to decide what needs to be changed and improved in the cost reporting process. Hopefully we will see better reporting in the coming year, giving the new Administration a better idea of the current state of the home health care industry.

Source: Issue #164 of Home Health Care Today, courtesy of Stephen Tweed and www.leadinghomecare.com