HCFA suspends new advance beneficiary notice requirement
By MATTHEW HAY
HHBR Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON The Health Care Financing Administration announced Sept. 30 it has temporarily suspended implementation of the Home Health Advance Beneficiary Notice requirements. The requirements were supposed to take effect last week. HCFA’s about-face followed a campaign by the National Association for Home Care (NAHC) that culminated in meetings with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last week.
On Sept 10, NAHC urged HCFA Deputy Administrator Mike Hash to postpone the new mandate and consult with industry, but the agency instead requested "emergency clearance" of the new requirement from the OMB on Sept. 20.
HCFA’s Sept. 30 memo instructs fiscal intermediaries to advise home health agencies that they are still obligated, under current regulations and instructions, "to issue meaningful notices to Medicare beneficiaries and to submit demand bills to Medicare for beneficiaries, when required to do so by beneficiaries."
A HCFA spokesman said the model notices published by HCFA in August can be used by home health agencies on a voluntary basis until the agency goes through the normal notice and comment period in order to implement the new rule.
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