American Association for Homecare Proposes to Congress a Medicare Anti-Fraud Action Plan that Includes Increased Penalties, Site Inspection, and Tough...( ARLINGTON Va. Feb. 10 -- During sche...),Health

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During scheduled visits to Members of Congress on Capitol Hill tomorrow, the American Association for Homecare and its members will urge Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to adopt the Medicare Anti-Fraud Legislative Plan. Developed by the American Association for Homecare, this legislative action plan outlines tough, effective measures to stop waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare's home medical equipment sector.

"The tremendous benefits of homecare for patients and for the health care system have too often been obscured by the actions of a few bad actors," said Tyler J. Wilson, president of the American Association for Homecare. "The American Association for Homecare and its members want to work with Congress and CMS to take tough new steps to prevent fraud and abuse in Medicare because the homecare sector has zero tolerance for illegal activity. This kind of abuse of the system leads to a disgraceful waste of taxpayers' dollars and represents theft of resources needed by seniors and people with disabilities."

Among the provisions detailed in the legislative proposal are more rigorous quality standards, increased penalties for fraud, mandated site inspections for new providers, and real-time claims analysis.

"This action plan is a tangible demonstration of our commitment to stopping fraud and abuse in the system, and it is a proactive solution that will be far more effective than unnecessary Medicare cuts to the homecare medical equipment sector that only harm patients and seniors," said Tyler J. Wilson. "Our proposed legislative plan is tailored to target the source of the problem, stopping fraud and abuse where it starts in the system."

In the Medicare Anti-Fraud Legislative Plan, the American Association for Homecare proposes the following 13 specific recommendations to stop fraud and abuse in the home
'/>"/>