Nursing Homes Should Review Their QRP and VBP Preview Reports

(Aug. 13, 2024) The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare when it is refreshed in October 2024.

The Preview Reports have been updated to reflect the addition and removal of measures that will be effective with the October 2024 refresh. The new assessment-based measure being added is the Discharge Function Score. The three measures being removed from the Preview Reports are: (1) Application of Percent of Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Patients With an Admission and Discharge Functional Assessment and a Care Plan That Addresses Function, (2) SNF Functional Outcome Measure: Change in Self-Care Score for Skilled Nursing Facility Residents, and (3) SNF Functional Outcome Measure: Change in Mobility Score for Skilled Nursing Facility Residents.

The data contained in the Preview Reports are based on the following performance time-frames:

• quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 1, 2023 through Quarter 4, 2023;
• Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 1, 2024;
• COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel from Quarter 4, 2023;
• claims-based measure data from Quarter 4, 2021 through Quarter 3, 2023; and,
• the SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure data from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2023.

Providers have until Aug. 14, 2024 to review their performance data. Only updates/corrections to the underlying assessment data before the final data submission deadline will be reflected in the publicly reported data on Care Compare. However, providers can request Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) review of their data during the preview period if they believe the quality measure scores that are displayed within their Preview Reports are inaccurate.  The CMS page dedicated to SNF QRP public reporting is here.

While accessing those preview reports, members may want to make sure that they have also accessed and reviewed their FY 2025 SNF Value Based Purchasing (VBP) August 2024 Performance Score Reports (PSRs).   These reports provide SNFs their performance information for the FY 2025 SNF VBP Program year, including the incentive payment multiplier. When payments are made for a SNF's Medicare fee-for-service Part A claims in FY 2025 (Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025), the adjusted federal per diem rate is multiplied by the SNF's incentive payment multiplier.

SNFs may submit corrections to their performance score and rank until Aug. 31, 2024. SNFs must submit correction requests to SNFVBP@rti.org with the subject line “SNF VBP Review and Correction Inquiry” along with your SNF’s CMS Certification Number (CCN) and name, correction request, and reason for requesting the correction.

To locate your VBP report in iQIES:

1. Log into iQIES at https://iqies.cms.gov/ using your Health Care Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP) user ID and password. (If you do not have a HARP account, you may register for a HARP ID.)
2. In the Reports menu, select My Reports.
3. From the My Reports page, locate the MDS 3.0 Provider Preview Reports folder. Select the MDS 3.0 Provider Preview Reports link to open the folder.
4. Here you can see the list of reports available for download. Locate the desired SNF VBP Program Performance Score Report.
5. Once located, select More next to your desired SNF VBP Program Performance Score Report and the report will be downloaded through your browser. Once downloaded, open the file to view your facility’s report.

The CMS SNF VBP site is here.  Questions can be submitted to the SNF VBP Program Help Desk at SNFVBP@rti.org.

Contact:  Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org,518-867-88481