United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-09-09 monographic deposited born digital 32 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-98-238 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238 P0b002ee18037ffe3 f:he98238 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238 HEHS-98-238 Home health care services Medical expense claims Beneficiaries Health care cost control Patient care services Health resources utilization Medicare Program Medicare Prospective Payment System Medicare Interim Home Health Payment System Connecticut Indiana Louisiana Missouri New York Texas New Mexico Letter Report HEHS Until 1996, Medicare spending for home health care had been rising dramatically, consuming about $1 in every $11 of Medicare outlays in 1996, compared with $1 in every $40 in 1989. To control this rapid cost growth, the Health Care Financing Administration was required to implement a prospective payment system that sets fixed, predetermined payments for home health services. Until that system is developed, home health agencies will be under an interim payment system that imposes limits on the cost-based payments they receive. The limits provide incentives to control per-visit costs and the number and mix of visits for each user. Industry representatives claim that the system's new cost limits have caused some home health agencies to close or some beneficiaries, particularly those with high-cost needs, to have difficulty obtaining care. This report (1) identifies the potential impact of the interim payment system on home health agencies; (2) determines the number, distribution, and effect of recent home health agency closures; and (3) assesses whether the interim payment system could be affecting beneficiaries' access to services, particularly beneficiaries who are expensive to serve. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238.pdf GAO/HEHS-98-238 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-98-238 Letter Report GAO/HEHS-98-238; Medicare Home Health Benefit: Impact of Interim Payment System and Agency Closures on Access to Services; Home health care services Medical expense claims Beneficiaries Health care cost control Patient care services Health resources utilization Medicare Program Medicare Prospective Payment System Medicare Interim Home Health Payment System Connecticut Indiana Louisiana Missouri New York Texas New Mexico Public Law 105-33