CMS Hosts a Home Health Quality of Patient Care Star Rating Call
On Jan. 19th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held an MLN Connects Call for home health care providers so they could learn about proposed changes to the Home Health Quality of Patient Care star rating on Home Health Compare based on stakeholder and technical expert panel (TEP) feedback. The agenda for the call included: introduction and purpose; overview of current Star Rating methodology; proposed changes and supporting analyses; next steps and potential timeline; and questions and comments. Please review the presentation and contact me with your questions or concerns. The proposal seeks to eliminate the current Influenza Immunization Received for Current Flu Season measure and add an Emergency Department Use without Hospitalization measure (see slides 12-17). The move would swap an OASIS-based quality measure for a claims-based measure. I expect an audio recording and transcript to be available next week for this important proposed change. CMS will be accepting comments on the proposed changes until Feb. 20th. Please send your comments to HH_QM_Comment@abtassoc.com.
"The number of home health agencies nationwide that earned a 4.5 patient care star rating fell 1% since CMS last reported such data in October 2016, while the number of home health agencies that earned a 2.5 patient care star rating increased 1%, according to an analysis of Home Health Compare data from Northampton, Massachusetts-based consultancy firm Fazzi Associates."
Contact: Cheryl Udell, cudell@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8771