Judith Waltz Assesses CMS Moratoria and Enforcement Impact
Foley & Lardner LLP Judith Waltz analyzed the impact of new recent federal enforcement actions on home health agencies (HHAs) and hospices in the Report on Medicare Compliance article, “Site Visits Surge for Home Health, Hospice Providers; CMS Implements Enrollment Moratoria.”
On the Office of Inspector General (OIG) already reviewing Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCU), Waltz described it as “a shrewd move to light the fire under states without directly taking benefits away from Medicaid beneficiaries.”
“The problem is, if OIG strips funding from the MFCU, how will the state effectively fight fraud? If the MFCU is denied recertification, responsibility could fall back on the federal government to go after Medicaid fraud in that state,” she said.
Waltz also warned of the broader risks, saying, “If OIG is talking about cutting off federal funds for Medicaid generally, it would be a disaster. Losing federal financial participation would result in loss of benefits for a large number of people.”
“I get that CMS is trying to stamp out fraud, but I worry about beneficiary access to care,” she concluded.
