Registered Nurses Did Not Always Visit Medicare Beneficiaries' Homes At Least Once Every 14 Days To Assess The Quality of Care and Services Provided by Hospice Aides

Submitting OIG:

Department of Health & Human Services OIG

Report Description:

To participate in Medicare, hospices must meet conditions of participation, which are the health and safety requirements for improving quality of care and protecting the health and safety of beneficiaries. Compliance with each condition of participation depends on how the hospice provider satisfies various standards within the condition. One standard requires registered nurses to visit beneficiaries' homes at least once every 14 days to assess the quality of care and services provided by hospice aides. Since 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has consistently identified this standard as one of the top seven standards with the most deficiencies

Date Issued:

Monday, November 18, 2019

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Department of Health & Human Services

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

A-09-18-03022

Component, if applicable:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Audit

Questioned Costs:

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

View Document:

Attachment	Size
91803022 112119.pdf	1.47 MB

Additional Details Link:

https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region9/91803022.asp

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
267803	Open	No
We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: promote hospices’ compliance with the condition-of-participation standard that requires registered nurses to visit hospice beneficiaries’ homes at least once every 14 days to assess the quality of care and services provided by hospice aides, which could include: o working with State survey agencies and accreditation organizations to increase emphasis on oversight of this requirement, o educating hospices about the requirements associated with this standard, and o making this standard a quality measure.
267804	Open	No
We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: take action to ensure that all registered nurses’ supervisory visits of hospice aides are documented in accordance with applicable CMS regulations and interpretive guidelines.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

267803

Open

We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: promote hospices’ compliance with the condition-of-participation standard that requires registered nurses to visit hospice beneficiaries’ homes at least once every 14 days to assess the quality of care and services provided by hospice aides, which could include: o working with State survey agencies and accreditation organizations to increase emphasis on oversight of this requirement, o educating hospices about the requirements associated with this standard, and o making this standard a quality measure.

267804

Open

We recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: take action to ensure that all registered nurses’ supervisory visits of hospice aides are documented in accordance with applicable CMS regulations and interpretive guidelines.

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Registered Nurses Did Not Always Visit Medicare Beneficiaries' Homes At Least Once Every 14 Days To Assess The Quality of Care and Services Provided by Hospice Aides

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