Medi- Minutes

DHHS Offers Draft Guidelines 

to Help Nursing Homes 

Battle Fraud

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a draft guidance to help nursing homes battle internal fraud and abuse of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The draft guidance encourages nursing homes and elder-care facilities to create compliance programs to periodically assess the facility’s quality of care, resident’s rights, employee screening, billing and cost reporting, vendor relationships, and record keeping.

The new guidance focuses on several key areas, including:

• Implementing written codes of conduct;
• Designating a compliance committee;
• Conducting internal monitoring and auditing; and
• Responding promptly to offenses by developing corrective actions.