Home Health & Hospice Week

Don’t wait around for official rulemaking.

Home health agencies’ plates are full right this moment, but that doesn’t mean they can ignore developments that are further down the pike. Medicare’s plans to implement a value-based purchasing payment system for HHAs could close the doors of unprepared providers, experts worry.

Consider this advice to get a jump on your quality efforts and avoid potential VBP penalties:

Tip #1: Use real-time data. Waiting a quarter or more to see your outcomes data show up on Home Health Compare is "way too late," says financial consultant Pat Laff with Laff Associates in Hilton Head Island, S.C. You need to be looking at your outcomes data in real-time, he urges — "the day after the discharge OASIS" is submitted.

Tip #2: Aim for mid-2015. You’ll cut it too close if you delay improvement efforts with 2016 in mind. "You don’t want to come from behind" when VBP starts, Laff advises. Plan to have your outcomes in "tip-top shape" by the middle of this year.

Tip #3: Get specific. In order to achieve better outcomes, HHAs will need to drill down to data on the clinician and supervisor level, Laff said when CMS issued the proposed rule. "To fix problems, you have to know who’s pulling you down," he explained.

Tip #4: Target hospital measures. CMS hasn’t said which measures it will use for VBP yet, but experts are betting on emergent care and hospitalization. Keep those at the top of your priority list for improvement.

Tip #5: Consider the COPs. CMS is proposing to require that HHAs implement a quality assessment and performance improvement (QAPI) program starting this year (see Eli’s HCW, Vol. XXIII, No. 35). You may get more bang for your buck if your VBP and QAPI efforts dovetail, Laff says.