Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026

(A) In making

(B)

(i) Beginning 1 year after the date of enactment of this subparagraph, the Secretary may not approve a request for a finding under paragraph (1) with respect to a national accreditation body unless the survey procedures of such accreditation body—

(I) met or exceeded the standards applicable to the survey procedures that State and local agencies that have entered into an agreement with the Secretary under section 1864(a) are required to use; and

(II) require surveyors to complete the relevant basic surveyor training courses offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before serving as a member of a survey team.

(ii) The Secretary may only continue to give effect to any such finding made prior to the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this subparagraph with respect to a national accreditation body with respect to the accreditation of home health agencies if the Secretary determines before such date that the survey procedures of such accreditation body meet the conditions described in clause (i).

(f) Accreditation for home health agencies

(1) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall establish and implement a mechanism for periodically assessing the performance of an accreditation body that has received approval from the Secretary under subsection (a)(3)(A) for accreditation of home health agencies.

(2) In the case that the Secretary finds, pursuant to the mechanism established under paragraph (1), that the performance of such accreditation body is deficient, the Secretary shall provide for an appropriate remedy, which may include the imposition of a corrective action plan, ongoing monitoring of the accreditation body, and the termination of such approval with respect to the accreditation body for accreditation of home health agencies.