Posted Wednesday, November 3, 2021
CMS acted to improve home health care for older adults and people with disabilities through a final rule that would accelerate the shift from paying for Medicare home health services based on volume to a system that pays for value. The rule finalizes a nationwide expansion of the successful Home Health Value- Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model and makes updates to the Medicare Home Health Prospective Payment System (PPS) and the home infusion therapy services payment rates for Calendar Year (CY) 2022, in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory requirements.
One of the biggest changes in the final rule is that CMS is giving agencies time to prepare before the national rollout of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing model (HHVBP) begins impacting payments.
Originally expected to begin implementing HHVBP in January, CMS was set to begin HHVBP in January, but now they are using 2022 as a “pre-implementation year.” As a result, the first year for payment adjustments will be 2025, with 2023 as the first performance year.
This final rule makes permanent the changes to the home health Conditions of Participation (CoP) that were implemented during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and finalizes changes to the CoPs to implement a provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
This rule also finalizes changes to the Home Health, Long -Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Programs (QRP); finalizes revisions to the infection control requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities (Medicaid nursing facilities and Medicare skilled nursing facilities, also collectively known as “nursing homes”) that will extend the mandatory COVID-19 reporting requirements beyond the current COVID-19 PHE until December 31, 2024; incorporates into regulation several existing Medicare provider enrollment policies; and finalizes survey and enforcement requirements for hospice programs to implement provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
Click here for the full press release.
About Corridor
For over 30 years, Corridor has partnered with home-based care providers, delivering powerful solutions to support the unique challenges of caring for patients in the home. Our team of operating executives, clinicians, and nationally renowned industry experts have run provider organizations and resolved the same challenges you face.
Focusing on key operational, regulatory and financial challenges, Corridor delivers solutions and deep expertise in coding, clinical documentation, compliance, billing and education.
To receive the most important industry updates, insights and news impacting home health and hospice, please make sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
