HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1822        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1072

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act ORDERING A STUDY OF HOME HEALTH SERVICE RATE CUTS..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, by no later than July 31, 2009, the executive office of health and human services shall procure a full review of the decrease in rate of payment for skilled health services rendered to home health patients that was effective December 1, 2008. Said study shall analyze: 1. Background data, including cost analysis that supports the rate cut; 2. The effect of the rate cut on patients receiving care and agencies that administer that care; 3. The cost and duration for home health visits lasting 60 or more consecutive days and; 4. The short-term versus long-term cost-effectiveness of this amendment.

SECTION 2 Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special study commission to review the findings of the report commissioned in Section 1 of this Act. Said commission shall be comprised of the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs or their designees, the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing or their designees, the Chair for the House Committee on Ways & Means or their designee, the Senate Chair on Ways & Means or their designee, the Commissioner of the Division of Health Care Finance & Policy or their designee and one representative selected by each of the following: The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons. Further, at least one representative in addition to the commission members specified in this act will be a visiting nurse from a certified home health agency.

SECTION 3 Said commission shall convene within 10 days after submission of said study to the Legislature in order to review said findings; and further, shall meet monthly with the intention of incorporating findings into a recommendation for the Legislature. Said Commission shall submit said recommendations by no later than October 1st, 2009.