title: Focus on a necessary benefit.
abstract: More than 9,000 home health agencies provide services to Medicare beneficiaries. In 1996, 10 percent of Medicare beneficiaries received home health services at a total cost of +18 billion. Rapid growth has forced changes in the structure of the benefit payment system and has made home health an attractive area for fraudulent activities which are now being targeted. Collectively, this important benefit and relatively new industry will face changes in the way they do business and deliver services.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kennan
mesh_terms: D002017:Budgets; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D005607:Fraud; D018574:Home Care Agencies / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006278:Medicare / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016344:Medicare Part A; D016345:Medicare Part B; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States