State Auditors Release
Joint Performance Audit on Home Health Care: Oversight Often Insufficient
Washington, DC – July 27, 2000:
The National State Auditors Association (NSAA) has released the
findings of a recent joint performance audit on home health care
services.
The audit, covering nine states,
found problems with deficient licensing practices, untimely inspections,
limited reviews during Medicare surveys, and weaknesses in training.
Several states also found that complaint investigations were not
timely or that inspectors did not impose sanctions when deficient
conditions were identified.
In addition, five states reported
problems with payment systems including improper authorization
or approval for some payments and payments made for services that
were not allowed or that apparently were not provided. Lastly,
the report shows that four of the nine participating states do
not have governmental oversight for home health care services
or their existing oversight systems need to be improved.
Led by Robert P. Casey, Jr., Auditor
General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the states of Arizona,
Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and Texas joined to conduct the audit identifying and addressing
substantive issues concerning home health care services. As in
previous joint audits, this project allowed auditors to share
information and expertise, and intends to help decision-makers
address the issues facing recipients and providers of home health
care services.
NSAA President and Kansas Legislative
Post Auditor Barbara Hinton commented, “Cooperative audits provide
states with useful data and often facilitate improved systems
through the sharing of information. Each state faces different
challenges and can benefit from the expertise of others. The report
shows that states are experiencing problems in oversight and quality
of home heath care, but it also reveals the need for and relevance
of these types of audits, and the value of NSAA’s joint audit
projects.”
NSAA
Joint Performance Audit on Home Health Care (Adobe PDF)
