CHAPTER 190 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 5041 A Concurrent Resolution memorializing Congress to rescind certain Health Care Fi-
nancing Administration (HCFA) rules requiring Outcome and Assessment Information
Set (OASIS) reporting.
      WHEREAS,  New rules made by HCFA require OASIS assessment
and follow-up reports for all patients of Medicare-certified home health
agencies and health departments whether or not the personal or attendant
care for such patients is paid from Medicare; and

      WHEREAS,  The new HCFA report requires an 18-page initial as-
sessment, which must be completed by a registered nurse, with a 13 page
follow-up assessment being required every 60 days; and

      WHEREAS,  The requirement for computer software for the prepa-
ration and transmission of such assessments and follow-up reports is an-
other unfunded mandate of the federal government; and

      WHEREAS,  The HCFA requirement requires costly unfunded re-
porting of those who receive services which are not paid by Medicare--
which reporting duplicates existing assessment and reporting require-
ments of the Kansas Department on Aging; and

      WHEREAS,  In the environment of the small, home health care serv-
ices existing in Kansas, it is not feasible to create separate organizations
to provide services for non-Medicare customers. The end result of the
HCFA rules is that Medicare-certified agencies will no longer be able to
provide in-home services to non-Medicare customers. Consequently, with
lower levels of preventive home services being available to older Kansans
there will be an increase in hospital admissions, thus increasing Medicare
costs, and an increase in nursing home admissions, thus increasing Med-
icaid costs; and

      WHEREAS,  OASIS appears to be solely a research project of HCFA,
totally unfunded by federal sources, and accomplished with loss of funds
by reporting agencies and loss of services for Kansas seniors: Now, there-
fore,

      Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Kansas,
the Senate concurring therein: That we memorialize the Congress of
the United States to require the Health Care Financing Administration
OASIS reporting and data reporting requirements to apply only to Med-
icare patients and not to all patients of Medicare-certified home health
agencies; and

      Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to pro-
vide an enrolled copy of this resolution to the President of the United
States, Secretary of Health and Human Services, President of the United
States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,
minority leaders of the United States Senate and the United States House
of Representatives, and to each member of the Kansas Congressional
delegation.

 Adopted by the House April 9, 1999.
Adopted by the Senate
May 2, 1999.
__________