Recent Developments on Nursing Home “Quality Pool”
The Department of Health (DOH) has posted the final results of the 2016 Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI) to the Health Commerce System (HCS), and nursing homes were notified on Feb. 10th via the Integrated Health Alerting Network System on the HCS. In other NHQI news, litigation challenging the program is still pending, emergency regulations authorizing the program are in place, and payment adjustments for the program reflecting 2015 results have been approved by the federal government.
DOH sent the following notification to nursing homes on Feb. 10th:
“The results of the 2016 New York State Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI) have been finalized and we are pleased to share with you your facility’s performance. The results are posted to the Health Commerce System (HCS). To access this report, please follow the instructions below.
- Access the HCS at https://commerce.health.state.ny.us/
- At the security screen, enter your HCS ID and password
- At the HCS Welcome Page, select "NH Rate Sheets 4/2009-Forward" under the heading "My Applications".
- If “NH Rate Sheets 4/2009-Forward" is not listed under the heading "My Applications", click on “My Content” > “All Applications”
- Click the letter “N” in the “Browse by” section at the top of the screen
- Click “Nursing Home Rate Sheets 4/1/2009 and Forward”
- At the Nursing Home Rates screen, select "2016 Nursing Home Quality Initiative Final Results" from the drop-down list under "Nursing Home Rates Selection List"
- Identify your facility in the drop-down list under "Nursing Home Selection List", then select "SHOW REPORTS"
This message also contains an attachment with the Dear Administrator letter followed by the methodology for the 2016 NHQI, and instructions for interpreting your facility's report.
The following types of facilities are excluded from the NHQI and will not have a report posted on the HCS: Non-Medicaid facilities, CMS-designated Special Focus Facilities, Specialty Facilities, Continuing Care Retirement Communities, and Transitional Care Units.
If there are any questions about the 2016 NHQI, please email us at nhqp@health.ny.gov.”
The above-referenced Dear Administrator letter also includes a description of the 2016 NHQI methodology and instructions for interpreting a facility’s report. Facility quintile rankings for 2016 and other program information is now also posted on the NHQI page on the DOH website.
In other NHQI news:
- Payment adjustments for the program reflecting facility performance for 2013-onward have not been made due to litigation pending in New York State Supreme Court, Albany County [Dry Harbor Nursing Home v. Zucker] challenging the legality of the NHQI. The State has filed dismissal motions, and we are awaiting an update on next steps.
- DOH recently extended its emergency adoption of regulations authorizing the program through Feb. 16, 2017, and is in the process of adopting the regulations on a permanent basis.
- In December 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) granted its approval to the State for the 2015 NHQI payment adjustments (2013 and 2014 were previously approved). The Medicaid State Plan Amendment for the 2016 NHQI was submitted to CMS on June 27, 2016, but has not been acted on as of yet.
LeadingAge NY will keep members posted on the status of the NHQI program.
Contact: Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383, ext. 128