Deficiency History & Recertification of Medicare Home Health Agencies

August 2008 This report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) notes that 15% of Medicare home health agencies repeated the same deficiency on three consecutive surveys conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS). The most frequently repeated deficiency was related to patient plans of care. The OIG sought to determine the extent to which Medicare home health agencies repeated the same deficiency citations across three consecutive surveys and whether CMS uses deficiency history in its oversight of the agencies . . .