HCBS Federal Updates

Home health and hospice providers are encouraged to review the below federal updates from LeadingAge National:

CMS Releases Hospice Care Index Technical Report. The Hospice Care Index (HCI) Technical Report was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 1, 2022. This report provides descriptive analyses and detailed contextual information about the new HCI quality measure. The national average HCI score is 8.8, with 37.9 percent of hospices receiving a score of 10. HCI scores were higher on average among larger hospices, older hospices, non-profit hospices, and facility-based hospices.

CMS Releases OASIS-E Data Submission Specification for EHR. After numerous changes to the proposed Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS)-E item set, CMS has finally issued specifications for electronic health record (EHR) vendors to update products for home health agencies. There are only six months until implementation of OASIS-E in January 2023 for developers to make modifications to systems and allow home health agencies time to educate clinicians on the new systems. The new OASIS Data Submission Specifications were posted in the Downloads section of the Data Specifications webpage. The OASIS-E Guidance Manual outlines additional information as well as the Item Change and Edit Change reports within the data specifications. Members should reach out to their EHR vendors in the coming months regarding updates to systems.

Home Health Value-Based Purchasing YouTube and Podcasts. The Technical Assistance team at CMS continues to churn out important videos to help prepare providers for the Jan. 1, 2023 implementation of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. Newly available is an entire YouTube playlist dedicated to the expansion of the Model with previously published webinars and podcasts. Also newly available, both on the expanded Model website and on the YouTube playlist, are three podcasts designed to support home health quality improvement efforts and care:

• The Patient with Declining Memory: The “Keys” to Safe Mobility (16 minutes)
• Infection Prevention and Control: Home Health Patient Care and Communication (15 minutes)
• Managing Chronic Illness through Home Health Care (20 minutes)

Quarterly Home Health CAHPS Newsletter Released. The Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Team has posted the next issue of the HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) to provide information about HHCAHPS to home health agencies and survey vendors. In this addition of the newsletter, the team walks providers and vendors through how to review historical trends in CAHPS through archived reports. The team also includes reminders on the next data submission period of July 21, 2022 and how to submit Discrepancy Notification Reports (DNRs).