OIG: Most Home Health Agencies Promptly Correct Deficiencies

​Although a 2008 study found that home health agencies often failed to correct deficiencies in time for follow-up surveys conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an updated review from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) found significant improvement. OIG looked at data from fiscal years 2010 and 2011, finding that 12% of home health agencies were cited for condition-level deficiencies, the highest severity, during CMS surveys. During 90-day follow-up surveys, nearly all (93%) of those agencies had corrected their deficiencies; most of the remaining agencies corrected deficiencies by the 130-day mark, with only 2% of agencies leaving Medicare participation with deficiencies unresolved.