Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) saved Medicare $1.38 billion in the original nine-state model when costs were compared to the 41 other states, according to the final evaluation report.
 
In December, agencies nationwide will wrap the first performance under the expanded HHVBP. And the final report on the original model suggests why CMS was so anxious to grow the test.
 
Beyond the cost savings, the nine model states saw declines in unplanned hospitalizations, skilled nursing facility use and emergency department use followed by inpatient admission. The report also notes an increase in quality, based on total performance scores for beneficiaries.
 
As previously noted in past reports, HHVBP states did see an increase in emergency department use during the model.
 
The report offers a sense of where agencies might find their payment adjustments after the first performance year of the expanded model.
 
Around 79% of agencies in the original model saw an adjustment of less than 2% in 2019, the year when maximum adjustments also were at 5%.