Home Health & Hospice Week
Stay Tuned To IQIES For Upcoming VBP Data
Plus: TEP mulls adding equity points, like in SNF VBP. The New Year brings new Value-Based Purchasing homework for diligent home health agencies. For example: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a new set of VBP Frequently Asked Questions, with seven new and 11 updated FAQs. New questions tackle the recent home health final rule and interim performance reports (IPRs), among other topics. One provider asks how soon it will receive data for the 2025 performance year. “To help provide feedback to HHAs on the quality measure set for the calendar year (CY) 2025 performance year, CMS plans to make the most current HHA-specific performance data for the applicable measures, including the achievement thresholds and benchmarks, available to each HHA in iQIES,” CMS says. “This information will be available before the start of the CY 2025 performance year, as soon as administratively possible,” according to Q7003. The 73-page FAQ set is at www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/media/document/hhvbp-exp-faqs. Another example: CMS “has released the expanded Home Heath Value-Based Purchasing Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Report,” CMS says in a Dec. 29 message to providers. “This report provides a summary of the TEP’s input on health equity approaches, performance measures, measure weights, and performance reporting,” the agency explains. The VBP TEP discussed “refinements to the expanded HHVBP Model … designed to reduce differences in health outcomes for beneficiaries who are disadvantaged or underserved,” the 24-page report says. In particular, the experts mulled changes similar to the Health Equity Adjustment (HEA) that will begin in the Skilled Nursing Facility VBP starting with the fiscal year 2027 program year, the report notes. “Under the HEA, providers could receive HEA bonus points that are added to the Total Performance Score (TPS) depending on their performance level and share of dually eligible beneficiaries,” explains the report at www.cms.gov/files/document/hhvbp-exp-tech-exp-panel-rpt.pdf. Finally, for agencies trying to obtain help regarding VBP, there’s a new email to use. As of Dec. 18, 2023, the HHVBP Model Help Desk email address is now HHVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov, CMS says in a message to providers. Formerly the address was HHVBPquestions@lewin.com. “Be sure to include your name, the HHA’s name, and the CMS Certification Number (CCN)” with any queries to the Help Desk, CMS reminds.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- OASIS:
Get Your First Look At Updated OASIS-E1 Tool
Item for COVID vax quality measure is now on deck. For once, Medicare officials are [...] - Hospice:
Third-Ever Hospice Topic Approved For RAC Review
Hot seat gets even toastier for feds’ favorite fraud targets. Hospices should brace for even [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
Will Your State’s Error Rate Land You On Medicare’s ‘Most Wanted’ List For Medical Review?
Meet your CERT contractor before it’s too late. Where your state falls on Medicare’s payment [...] - Medical Review:
Check Out CERT Details With This Resource
Keep tabs on your CERT-requested charts, for starters. If you’re stumped by CERT updates and [...] - Human Resources:
Heed This OSHA Requirement That Changed As Of Jan. 1
Large providers narrowly miss out on regulatory relief. Now that 2024 has arrived, make sure [...] - Compliance:
Follow 4 Key Tips To Sidestep Compliance Pitfalls Under Updated OSHA Reg
Keep close tabs on your employee count if you are anywhere close to the reporting [...] - HIPAA:
Consider Running A Phishing Simulation In Light Of Newly Settled Case
Feds set a punishing precedent for healthcare providers that fall victim to this common cyberattack. [...] - Industry Notes:
Stay Tuned To IQIES For Upcoming VBP Data
Plus: TEP mulls adding equity points, like in SNF VBP. The New Year brings new [...] - Industry Notes:
Don't Forget: New Year Brings New dNPWT Billing Procedures
Don’t let a post-holiday haze scramble your new billing for certain wound care supplies. “Effective [...] - Industry Notes:
NAHC-NHPCO Merger Advances
The potential merger between the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the National [...] - Industry Notes:
Brookdale Sells Remaining Home Health Interest
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. has sold “its remaining 20 percent equity interest in its Health [...] - Industry Notes:
Pennant Partners With Nonprofit
The Pennant Group Inc. has entered a home health joint venture with nonprofit John Muir [...] - Industry Notes:
Learn Health Equity Report Details
If you missed Medicare’s November question-and-answer session about its new Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports [...]
