Posted on Friday, December 1, 2017 5:52 PM
On Wednesday, November 15, 2017 the CMS had an Open Door Forum to present the newest home health and hospice regulatory issues.
Home Health Updates
“CMS projects that Medicare payments to HHAs in CY 2018 will be reduced by 0.4 percent, or $80 million, based on the finalized policies. This decrease reflects the effects of a 1 percent home health payment update percentage ($190 million increase); a -0.97 percent adjustment to the national, standardized 60-day episode payment rate to account for nominal case-mix growth for an impact of -0.9 percent ($170 million decrease); and the sunset of the rural add-on provision for an impact of -0.5 percent ($100 million decrease).”
Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HHQRP)
CMS finalized in the HHPPS rate update rule the creation of three new quality measures to begin in 2019.
They are:
- “Percent of Residents or Patients with Pressure Ulcers That Are New or Worsened (Short Stay) is to be replaced with a measure entitled Changes in Skin Integrity Post-Acute Care: Pressure Ulcer/Injury.
- Application of Percent of Long-Term Care Hospital Patients with an Admission and Discharge Functional Assessment and a Care Plan That Addresses Function
- Application of the Measure Percent of Residents Experiencing One or More Falls with Major Injury”
Hospice Quality Updates
“Hospice Quality Reporting Program Updates. CMS will be holding quarterly trainings related to hospice quality reporting to improve reporting compliance rates and reduce the number of hospice providers that suffer the 2 percent payment reduction. The first such training was held on September 20, 2017, and the next training session will be held in early 2018. NAHC will provide dates as they become available.”
Summary information is taken from CMS and NAHC report.
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