Citing significant potential for fraud and abuse, CMS has announced that it is temporarily suspending new home health agency (HHA) and ground ambulance enrollment in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program in several geographic areas, and it is extending the current enrollment moratoria for these provider types in separate areas. Specifically, effective January 30, 2014, CMS is establishing a 6-month moratorium on HHA enrollment in the following metropolitan areas: Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Dallas and Houston. CMS also is temporarily suspending enrollment of new ground ambulance suppliers in the Greater Philadelphia area. In addition, CMS is extending for six-months a current enrollment moratoria (announced in July 2013) impacting HHAs in Chicago and Miami and ground ambulance suppliers in Houston. Note that CMS may lift the moratoria earlier or extend them for another six months through issuance of a Federal Register notice.
While existing providers and suppliers can continue to deliver and bill for services in moratoria areas, no new applications for the designated provider types will be approved, unless the provider’s enrollment application has already been approved, but not yet entered into PECOS or the State Provider/Supplier Enrollment System at the time the moratorium is imposed. According to CMS, the initial moratoria that began in July 2013 resulted in the denial of the enrollment applications of 231 HHAs and 7 ambulance companies in the geographic areas affected by the moratoria. A CMS notice explains the rationale for the imposition and extension of the moratoria.