IV

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;
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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,
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which are creating financial problems for home health

agencies such that more than 2,200 agencies nationwide

have already closed: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that Con3 gress should actively oversee HCFA’s administration of

4 the medicare home health benefit, paying particular atten5 tion to—

6 (1) HCFA’s compliance with public notice and

7 comment requirements;

8 (2) HCFA’s consideration of input from the

9 home health community;

10 (3) the coordination and consistent application

11 of policies among HCFA’s central and regional of12 fices; and

13 (4) HCFA’s adherence to Congressional intent

14 when implementing changes.

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