Medicare Home Health Agencies: Weaknesses in Federal and State Oversight Mask Potential Quality Issues

September, 2002 GAO-02-382 Medicare Home Health Agencies: Weaknesses in Federal and State Oversight Mask Potential Quality Issues Although HHA surveys conducted nationwide since 1998 identified a small proportion of HHAs with serious, COP-level deficiencies, there is evidence suggesting that the extent of serious care problems may be understated and that situations endangering the health and well-being of home health patients may occur more often than documented. Over two-thirds of all HHAs nationwide with documented serious, COP-level deficiencies were located in just two states, which conducted 16 percent of the surveys nationwide. In 14 states . . .