Home Health & Hospice Week

Symptom assessment, CAHPS topics may be up next.

While it’s not yet a done deal, recently released hospice quality measures may give providers an idea of what’s to come.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued its 2023 Measures Under Consideration (MUC) List. “By publishing this List, CMS makes these … measures publicly available and will seek input from interested parties in upcoming proposed rules published in the Federal Register for their use in Medicare programs,” CMS says in a post to its Measures Management System (MMS) Hub webpage.

The 42 new measures include two specific to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program:

1. Timely Reassessment of Pain Impact (MUC2023- 163): Number of HOPE Admission or IDG assessments for which pain symptom impact was reassessed within 2 days of the initial/triggering assessment date (Date of Symptom Impact Assessment); and

2. Timely Reassessment of Non-Pain Symptom Impact (MUC2023-166): Total number of HOPE Admission or IDG assessments where any non-pain symptom impact was assessed as moderate or severe.

The proposed items are both process measures, notes trade group LeadingAge in analysis of the list.

And adoption doesn’t appear imminent. The measures are both based on the HOPE assessment tool, which has yet to be released, LeadingAge adds. CMS has hinted that regulations implementing the tool will be included in the 2025 hospice proposed rule expected next spring, with adoption perhaps as late as 2026.

The MUC also contains one new and two revised Hospice CAHPS measures (MUC2023-183, 191, 192):

Sub-measure 1 (new): The CAHPS Hospice Survey Care Preferences measure assesses the following key processes of hospice care: explaining care options, formulating goals of care that reflect patient and family preferences, and then creating a plan of care that aims to achieve those goals. This aspect of care has been identified by hospice stakeholders as important to assessing quality of hospice care.

Sub-measure 2 (revised): The CAHPS Hospice Survey Hospice Team Communication measure assesses a key process of hospice care: the degree to which hospice keeps the hospice primary caregiver informed, listens to their concerns, and explains things in a way they can understand. This aspect of care has been identified by hospice stakeholders as important to assessing quality of hospice care.

Sub-measure 3 (revised): The Getting Hospice Care Training measure assesses a key process of hospice care: the degree to which the hospice attends to the needs of the hospice primary caregiver for information and training to safely care for the patient at home.

You can give the Partnership for Quality Measurement your two cents on the proposed measures in a Dec. 18 listening session on the post-acute and long-term care items. “In previous years, public comment opportunities occurred during the recommendation meetings. In order to allow more time and consideration of public comment, we are holding these listening sessions,” the PQM says in the session notice. “Public input helps ensure measures CMS implements in its quality programs continue to meet the needs and priorities of those impacted by their use,” it adds.

Alternative: The PQM will also take written public comments on the MUC list through Dec. 22, it notes. Interested parties can comment at https://p4qm.org/prmr-muc-list.

The 2023 MUC List does not contain any new measures for the Home Health QRP.

Note: A link to the MUC List in Excel is at https://mmshub.cms.gov/2023/2023-12/2023-measures-under-consideration-list-now-available. A link to listening session registration is at https://p4qm.org/events/pqm-prmr-2023-muc-list-post-acute-care-long-term-care-pac-ltc-measures-listening-session.