HHS has issued a report to Congress detailing elements that will be included in a home health value-based purchasing program. The report also explains endeavors to improve quality and provide more effective payment methods.

The report includes seven necessary components to implementing the program:

  • Continuous quality improvement framework – Implement a set of quality measures reflecting patient outcomes that are relevant to home health.
  • Enhanced data infrastructure and validation process – To calculate performance scores and distribute payments, the submission of complete and accurate home health data is necessary.
  • Scoring rules for individual measures – The report recommends that CMS evaluates home health agencies’ performance through their attainment or improvement measurements.
  • A performance assessment and evaluation model – A measurement of agencies’ overall achievement is necessary to provide an overall evaluation of performance. The measurements also could help in determining the size of payment for each agency.
  • Funding for the value-based purchasing program – CMS may continue with the standard pay-for-reporting system or implement payment withholds on agencies and make adjustments to future payments.
  • Transparency and public reporting – The value-based payment program data should be made public, which will help caregivers and patients make informed decisions when choosing home health agencies.
  • Coordination across Medicare payment systems – That will eliminate “silos” and provide better coordination between hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and agencies.

To view the full report click here.