A hidden provision within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) means you are going to have to hand over your fingerprints. Current agency owners with greater than 5% ownership will be forced to submit finger prints. All new home health providers are going to be required to submit finger prints to CMS through their intermediary.
Home health agencies and other ‘high risk’ providers will be required to submit their fingerprints starting this year. Although a formal schedule has not been released, agencies in high risk areas should be prepared to be the first group.
Submitted fingerprints will go to the FBI for a complete background check. Finger prints will remain on file and stored within the FBI’s database for potential future reference.
The fingerprinting provision within the ACA allows the HHS Secretary to expand finger printing to other providers.
CMS will have the final say on whether a provider has passed a fingerprint based background check. Providers who are not deemed to not pass will have billing privileges suspended.
To view the MLN Matters release, please click here.
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