COMPLIANCE: Patient Abandonment May Equal Fraud, OIG Warns
3 abandonment criteria can land HHAs in hot water.The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has specifically stated that abandonment of patients may amount to fraud. At the same time, the list of reasons home health agencies might have for terminating a relationship with a client is growing, cautions Elizabeth Hogue, a healthcare attorney based in Burtonsville, MD. She notes these top concerns: • Reductions in reimbursement from many payors mean that providers have fewer resources to provide uncompensated care. • Providers are increasingly aware of the possibility of professional liability when they continue to care for patients...
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