The American Association for Homecare has switched on its long-awaited Audit Key program today, and is urging HME providers to register and start staring their audit data.
Through collecting providers’ audit statistics, the long-term Audit Key initiative will drive the kind of hard numbers and credible data that will help the industry make a strong argument for reforming CMS’s audits and easing the financial burdens those audits are having on providers.
The program has been under development since June 2014, and has included the involvement of VGM Group Inc., MED Group, Brightree LLC and other organizations.
Now that Audit Key is live, AAHomecare is urging providers to register for the program at www.hmeauditkey.org and enter their Fourth Quarter 2015 audit data (the program collects data on a quarterly basis). A slide and audio presentation, as well as other information to help providers get started is at www.aahomecare.org/advocacy/hme-audit-key.
“The HME community must be able to better demonstrate the burdensome nature of audits, in terms of volumes and overturn rates,” a statement from AAHomecare read. “Your participation in the quarterly Audit Key will help the industry gather the data we need to make the case for reform, and will also help us identify new trends and developments in the audit space.”
In addition to helping the industry, providers can use Audit Key as a tool to better understand the impact CMS’s audits are having on their businesses. Providers can access their quarterly survey results, as well as aggregate survey results and key findings so that they can compare their audit volumes and appeal overturn rates against industry benchmarks.
Providers needing help registering or entering their information in the Audit Key system can get it via a contact form at www.hmeauditkey.org/Home/Help; emailing support@hmeauditkey.org, or by calling 1-844-HME A KEY (844-463-2539).