Preserve Access to Care in the Home (PATCH) Act of 1999

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Preserve Access to Care in the Home (PATCH) Act of 1999 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA '97) to eliminate the scheduled automatic 15 percent reduction in payment amounts to home health agencies furnishing home health services under the Medicare program. Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) create outlier provisions for home health services; (2) revise the definition of homebound; and (3) restructure the review process for claims submitted by home health agencies. Amends BBA '97 for the stated purpose of restoring periodic interim payments for home health agencies. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of Health and Human Services should: (1) ensure that the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services provides for appropriate payment of services provided to beneficiaries at rates that include incentives to provide services efficiently to all beneficiaries and do not create unintentional incentives to discriminate against beneficiaries with complex medical conditions; (2) ensure that the establishment of the case mix adjustment for such services does not penalize agencies that serve such …