OIG pushes to sanction home health companies over data lapses

The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is pressuring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop sanctions for homecare companies that miss deadlines for submitting OASIS data.

Submitting OASIS data was made a requirement in 2010 for home health companies participating in Medicare, but an OIG report issued in February found that most companies were failing to properly submit the outcomes data, which are the basis for determining payments, quality measures and consumer information. Claims are submitted separately.

The OIG recommended that CMS:

• Identify companies that fail to submit data and apply a 2 percent payment reduction.
• Establish and implement enforcement actions for companies that are late in submitting data.
• Develop clear guidelines for submission of timely and accurate OASIS data.

CMS responded to the report by saying most data is submitted in enough time to be useful, and it is working on an enforcement plan that would require OASIS data be submitted with claims. The OIG report is available online.