The Maine Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is aware of concerns raised about fraud, waste, and abuse in home health and hospice care occurring in other states. While any misuse of public funds is unacceptable and should be addressed swiftly, it is critical to distinguish isolated bad actors from the high-quality, compliant providers delivering essential care every day, particularly here in Maine.
Program integrity is a core priority for the Alliance and our member agencies. Maine’s home health and hospice providers are deeply rooted in their communities and are committed to ethical practice, regulatory compliance, and patient-centered care. Our members deliver medically necessary services that allow Maine people - especially older adults and those with complex health needs - to remain safely in their homes while avoiding more costly institutional care.
We fully support the efforts of our national association, the National Alliance for Care at Home, who submitted a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz opposing payment reductions and highlighting fraudulent providers in California. The Alliance outlined recommendations to strengthen home health and hospice program integrity. In that letter, the National Alliance stated: “The unwarranted cuts are also related to CMS calculations made with datasets that include data from fraudulent providers, especially those that have proliferated in Los Angeles County, California in recent years, and penalizes legitimate providers and beneficiaries for these anomalies.
“We strongly support CMS’s ongoing efforts to strengthen program integrity and believe that fraud, waste, and abuse can be effectively prevented and addressed while reducing burden on legitimate providers furnishing critical services in the home. As CMS continues to refine its oversight strategies, we encourage the agency to adopt measures that are analytically rigorous, operationally feasible, and take a targeted risk-based approach, consistent with CMS’s statutory authorities.”
We believe this balanced approach is essential. Broad, punitive policies driven by issues in other states risk undermining high-performing providers in Maine and could reduce access to care in rural and underserved communities. Strong, targeted oversight - paired with collaboration between regulators and providers - is the most effective way to protect both patients and taxpayer dollars.
The Maine Alliance for Care at Home remains committed to advancing program integrity, supporting quality agencies, and ensuring that Maine people continue to receive safe, ethical, and high-value care in their homes.
Home Care & Hospice Alliance of Maine has changed its name to the Maine Alliance for Care at Home. The name change was made to better reflect the makeup of businesses and organizations in the membership. From hospice to assistance with activities of daily living, private duty nursing to skilled home care, Maine Alliance for Care and Home members provide care at home for Mainers of all ages. This move also aligns the organization more closely with national partners.
“While our name has changed, our services and commitment to our members has not,” explains board chair Daryl Cady. “We’ll continue to advocate on our member’s behalf at the state and federal level, share critical updates and information, and provide opportunities to network and learn from leaders in our industry.”
In addition to the name change, Maine Alliance for Care at Home has launched a refreshed website to better serve members and Mainers across the state in their search for quality care. Updated branding, reflective of the new name, has also been released.
Visit the new website at www.homecarealliance.org to learn more about the Maine Alliance for Care at Home’s mission, upcoming events, and how to become a member.
