CMS Pauses PEPPER Distribution

Providers seeking to access their Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) in the coming months will be disappointed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a temporary pause in distributing annual PEPPERs as the agency works to improve and update the program and reporting system. Medicare providers, including skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospice programs, use these reports to help identify potential problem areas, compare perform self-audits, and prevent Medicare payment errors. Those visiting the PEPPER website will not have access to any resources, but instead will encounter the notice copied below.

There will be a temporary pause in distributing CBRs and PEPPERs as CMS works to improve and update the program and reporting system. This pause will remain in effect through the fall of 2024. We recognize the importance of these reports to your practice. Therefore, during this time, CMS will be working diligently to enhance the quality and accessibility of the reports. In fulfilling this commitment, your feedback is requested. In the near future, CMS will release a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information from you, the provider community, about how the program can better serve you.

Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841 or Susan Chenail, schenail@leadingageny.org