CMS extends Medicare enrollment freeze for home health and hospice providers

Medicare's moratorium on new home health and hospice enrollments isn't going anywhere just yet. CMS announced it's extending the nationwide freeze — originally put in place in May — for another six months through June 13, citing persistent fraud risks in these sectors. The agency is using the extra time to screen out bad actors, ramp up fingerprint-based background checks, and review claims before and after submission.

This extension comes with one notable tweak: unlike the original ban, providers already enrolled in Medicare will now be allowed to add new practice locations. That's a concession to legitimate operators who worried the blanket freeze was blocking them from serving patients in their communities.

Key Takeaways:

• The extended ban also bars hospice and home health agencies from re-enrolling after a change in majority ownership — a nod to concerns about private equity-driven ownership shuffles masking fraud schemes
• A recent two-day CMS enforcement operation in California resulted in 145 providers losing Medicare billing privileges
• A new CMS final rule expands the agency's authority to retroactively revoke Medicare enrollment when providers or their owners violate program rules

Why it matters: Fraud in home health and hospice care costs Medicare billions and can directly harm vulnerable patients. This extension signals CMS is doubling down on enforcement — but the industry is watching closely to ensure legitimate providers aren't caught in the crossfire.