Under the moratoria extension, new home health agencies and non-emergency ambulance suppliers will be banned from Medicare Part B enrollment statewide in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
According to Bloomberg BNA, the extension and statewide expansions of the moratoria were the result of ongoing fraud and abuse concerns. Risks for fraud and abuse were extending beyond counties in which CMS originally imposed the moratoria as a result of providers moving their practices outside of the designated counties yet continuing to serve patients within the counties. In some cases, Medicare has identified providers who were treating patients who live more than 300 miles away.
In addition to the moratoria expansions, CMS also rolled out the Provider Enrollment Moratoria Access Waiver Demonstration, which enables individual providers to challenge the moratoria if they face issues related to access to care, according to the report.
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