What They’re Saying
What They’re Saying
• Employment in the home health field has doubled nationally between 1991 and 1996, reported a recent editorial in the Hartford Courant. The editorial also stated that there are more than 10,000 home health aides in Connecticut. But the rapid growth of home health employment has outstripped the ability of the industry to properly screen those who apply to be aides in the home. "Many agencies do background checks. Others do not. All should," the editorial stated. "Unfortunately, predators some with criminal records have been hired by agencies, and they victimize their elderly charges. They steal from, embezzle from, ignore, and even mistreat" their patients. The editorial further stated that experts contend that there are far more cases of abuse by home health aides than are reported because elderly people often are reluctant to admit they’ve been victimized or are afraid of losing the services. "A criminal background check of all home healthcare aides should be required as a means of protecting America’s most vulnerable population," the editorial said.
• Home health officials told USA Today that the government’s crackdown on healthcare fraud often harms honest companies more than it stops the dishonest ones. Overzealous prosecutors see crimes instead of innocent errors in documenting bills for Medicare and Medicaid. One example is that of a January 1995 bust of Home Health and Hospice Care (HHHC; Goldsboro, NC) in which agents seized all records. Fifteen months later, a federal magistrate killed the case, ruling that the government misrepresented evidence to obtain its warrants. All three appeals failed. "You’re guilty until proven innocent," said Eric Sokol of the National Association for Home Care (Washington). "A lot of legitimate companies are being dragged through the well. Hiring attorneys and accountants to deal with these investigators is a huge burden." The Justice Department (Washington) set guidelines last summer stressing that fraud charges should not be brought against healthcare companies that make honest billing mistakes. Now, HHHC has filed a $500,000 lawsuit against the government, trying to recoup legal fees. But the company lost a lot more than money, said HHHC President Beverly Withrow. "We lost a tremendous amount of business," she told USA Today. "Referrals dropped drastically. It was like having leprosy."
• Criminal prosecutions for healthcare fraud have tripled since Attorney General Janet Reno declared war on it in 1993. A heightened public awareness of the costs spurred a rise in whistle-blower complaints, bringing investigators tips from consumers and healthcare workers. Last year, federal agents received more than 100,000 calls reporting suspected fraud.
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