U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced legislation Friday aimed at strengthening oversight of the Medicare home health program, combating fraud, and protecting legitimate home health agencies from reimbursement losses caused by fraudulent billing schemes. The legislation comes as federal officials have intensified their focus on home health fraud nationwide. Federal officials have said fraudulent providers can drain billions of dollars from government healthcare programs while reducing resources available to legitimate providers and the patients they serve. During that same period, more than 500 Medicare-certified home health agencies outside California closed their doors. The bill would also require more frequent inspections of newly enrolled agencies, organizations that change ownership, and providers that reactivate Medicare billing privileges.