[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 79 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 79

 Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the regulatory burdens 
                        on home health agencies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 1999

  Ms. Granger (for herself and Ms. Millender-McDonald) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
  Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the regulatory burdens 
                        on home health agencies.

Whereas 3.9 million elderly current use Medicare home health services and the 
        Balanced Budget Act of 1997 included a number of changes to the medicare 
        home health benefit;
Whereas a number of these changes had to be implemented by the Health Care 
        Financing Administration (HCFA);
Whereas a number of HCFA's regulations to implement such changes are 
        administratively burdensome and divert funds away from needed 
        beneficiary care;
Whereas HCFA has implemented a branch office policy that imposes arbitrary 
        distance and supervision requirements that are administratively 
        burdensome and threaten access to home health services, particularly in 
        rural areas;
Whereas, in order to implement the shift of medicare payment for home health 
        services from part A to part B, HCFA has imposed a ``sequential 
        billing'' policy that prohibits home health agencies from submitting 
        bills for patient services if a previous bill for that patient is 
        undergoing medical review;
Whereas HCFA has expanded medical reviews of home health claims so that 
        processing has slowed down significantly nationwide;
Whereas HCFA is requiring home health agencies to submit patient data using the 
        Outcomes and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) in anticipation of and 
        to assist the development of a prospective payment system (PPS) for home 
        health services;
Whereas most home health agencies will not be reimbursed for any of the costs or 
        the increase in administrative requirements associated with OASIS;
Whereas the slowdown in claims processing, coupled with sequential billing and 
        implementation of OASIS, has substantially increased home health agency 
        cash flow problems because payments are often delayed by three months or 
        more;
Whereas the vast majority of home health agencies are small businesses that 
        cannot operate with such significant cash flow problems; and
Whereas there are many other elements of the medicare home health program, such 
        as the interim payment system, which are creating financial problems for 
        home health agencies such that more than 2,200 agencies nationwide have 
        already closed: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that Congress should actively 
oversee HCFA's administration of the medicare home health benefit, 
paying particular attention to--
            (1) HCFA's compliance with public notice and comment 
        requirements;
            (2) HCFA's consideration of input from the home health 
        community;
            (3) the coordination and consistent application of policies 
        among HCFA's central and regional offices; and
            (4) HCFA's adherence to Congressional intent when 
        implementing changes.
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