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 1997-07-28 monographic deposited born digital 17 p. GA 1.13:T-HEHS-97-180 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180 P0b002ee180371d05 f:he97180t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180 T-HEHS-97-180 Health care programs Home health care services Quality assurance Institution accreditation Patient care services Noncompliance Medicare Program HHS Operation Restore Trust California Texas Massachusetts Testimony HEHS Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed how Medicare: (1) controls the entry of home health agencies (HHA) into the Medicare Program; and (2) ensures that HHAs in the program comply with Medicare's conditions of participation and associated standards.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) it is finding that Medicare's survey and certification process imposes few requirements on HHAs seeking to serve Medicare patients and bill the Medicare program; (2) the certification of an HHA as a Medicare provider is based on an initial survey that takes place so soon after the agency begins operating that there is little assurance that the HHA is providing or capable of providing quality care; and (3) moreover, once certified, HHAs are unlikely to be terminated from the program or otherwise penalized, even when they have been repeatedly cited for not meeting Medicare's conditions of participation and for providing substandard care. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180.pdf GAO/T-HEHS-97-180 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-97-180 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-97-180; Medicare Home Health Agencies: Certification Process Is Ineffective in Excluding Problem Agencies; Health care programs Home health care services Quality assurance Institution accreditation Patient care services Noncompliance Medicare Program HHS Operation Restore Trust California Texas Massachusetts