The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has posted its updated Active Work Plan for 2021, including two specific items related to the providing of home health (HH) during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE):
- Audit of Home Health Services Provided as Telehealth During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency – OIG will evaluate HH services provided during the PHE to determine which types of skilled services were furnished via telehealth, and whether those services were rendered and billed in compliance with Medicare requirements. Overpayments will be reported, and the OIG will make recommendations to CMS based on the results of the review.
- Home Health Agencies’ Challenges and Strategies in Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic – OIG will investigate the strategies HHAs have implemented to address challenges presented by COVID-19, including how well their emergency preparedness plans served the agency during the pandemic.
