Bill Dombi Quoted in McKnight's Home Care on Sixth Circuit's "Safe Harbor" Hospice Ruling

Bill Dombi, AGG Healthcare attorney, was quoted in a McKnight’s Home Care article examining a Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision granting hospice providers “safe harbor” protection when they reasonably, but mistakenly, provide care for patients believed to be terminally ill but who may not technically qualify for Medicare coverage.

The article details how the ruling stemmed from a case in which a Medicare contractor denied more than 250 hospice claims, exposing the provider to over $1 million in repayment liability. AGG filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National Alliance for Care at Home and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in support of In Home Health in the case. Bill explained why the decision matters for providers acting in good faith.

“They called it a safe harbor, and a safe harbor for the hospices gives them a bit of security in being a patient-centered provider of terminal care for the individual, so that they don’t have to worry so much about somebody looking retrospectively and second-guessing what the professionals at the time thought,” Bill said.

While the ruling is currently binding only in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee, Bill said continued advocacy will be needed to give it national impact.

“I just want to underline the point that this is a valuable impactful decision not only for hospices but for home health agencies as well as other providers of services. And the other part to underline is since the case is not over yet, advocacy will be necessary to get this opinion to have the national impact it deserves.”

To read the full article, please click here.