Recently, a federal court in Washington DC dismissed a lawsuit filed by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding a payment system that has significantly reduced reimbursements for numerous home health agencies since 2020. The US District Court for the District of Columbia made this decision in a memorandum opinion on April 26, stating that the plaintiffs did not follow proper procedures by failing to exhaust their administrative remedies before filing the lawsuit.
The court also denied NAHC’s own motion, which sought to have the payment system declared unlawful. The ruling indicates that the agency’s process for seeking expedited judicial review should have been pursued by the plaintiffs before resorting to legal action. By bypassing this process, the court found that the plaintiffs did not meet the necessary requirements to bring their case before the court.
Despite this setback, it is important to note that following proper procedures when challenging government actions is crucial. The ruling serves as a reminder of the legal steps that must be taken before seeking judicial review. Moving forward, it is likely that NAHC and other organizations will be more careful to adhere to these procedures when challenging government policies in order to avoid similar legal challenges in the future.