The Legal,Regulatory,and Policy Challenges of Infection Control in Home Health Care,2008

Abstract

The practice implications of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hospital payment policy change are likely to influence the relationships between home health care agencies and their referring/receiving hospitals. Maintaining infection control measures can be difficult in the home environment, which was not designed for health care provision and where family members, friends, and pets are present. In addition to the hospital payment changes, there have been epidemiologic changes, with increasing recognition of multidrug resistant organisms and increasing virulence. The purpose of this article is to identify the scope of the practice changes that might be expected in response to epidemiologic and policy changes and activities that home health care agencies can undertake in response. Increased calls for transparency, accountability, and high-quality care, along with threats of denied reimbursement, will force changes across the entire continuum of care.