Haven Hospice Gets Medicare to Return Money from Cap Payment

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The National Alliance for Hospice Access has issued a press release stating the Department of Health and Human Services/ Center for Medicare Services has been ordered by a California Judge to repay with interest the Hospice Cap Overpayment to the Los Angeles area Haven Hospice.

You can read the Judge's summary order here and the NAHA press release here. The NAHA notes the California judge has also barred HHS from using the current cap calculation to reclaim overpayment to hospices. It is not mentioned in the judge's summary order (or I can't read legal-ese) but this is likely to be either just in California or challenged at a federal level I would think. I imagine the NAHA and any member hospices who have had to pay Hospice Cap overpayments will bring this argument to other states.

The NHPCO has made no formal statements on the recent Haven Hospice ruling nor does any of the NHPCO's current legislation reform effort include the NAHA supported legislation recently introduced to re-tool the Medicare Hospice Cap. There is also no mention of the actual monetary amount to be repaid, but from some numbers hospice cap overpayments average $1milllion.