Home Health PPS Grouper Software (HHGS)

Home Health PPS Grouper Software (HHGS) Package (for claims starting 01-01-2024)

The January 2024 release of the HH PPS Grouper software (v05.0.24) is now available in the “Downloads” section of this webpage. A summary of the changes for what is included in the v05.0.24 HH PPS Grouper software update is listed below.

In November 2018, CMS finalized a case-mix classification model, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), effective beginning January 1, 2020. The PDGM, or Home Health PPS Grouper Software (HHGS), relies more heavily on clinical characteristics and other patient information to place home health periods of care into meaningful payment categories and eliminates the use of therapy service thresholds. In conjunction with the implementation of the PDGM, there will be a change in the unit of home health payment from a 60-day episode to a 30-day period.

The following reflect changes in the v05.0.24 software update:

• There are no software logic or interface changes for v05.0.24.

The following tables impacting grouping logic and HIPPS code assignments are updated effective January 1, 2024. Refer to the Summary of Data Changes document accompanying the software to review the details related to table changes:

• Updated thresholds values for functional impairment levels for all clinical groups. 
• Updated the functional impairment scoring for OASIS elements. 
• Updated the list of comorbidity subgroups applicable for low comorbidity adjustment. 
• Updated the comorbidity subgroup interactions list applicable for high comorbidity adjustment.

Notice Regarding Upcoming Releases of the Home Health PPS Grouper

The current version of Home Health PPS Grouper uses Java software and is currently based on Java version 8.  Support for Java version 8 will end by November 2026.  Home health agencies and their software vendors who implement the HH Grouper in a mainframe environment will be impacted by this change. CMS is preparing now to convert the programs to Java version 17.   

For the upcoming year, the October 2024 update and subsequent quarterly releases of the HH Grouper will include two Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) Java bridge modules instead of the one that is currently delivered.  We will continue to provide the existing bridge module that utilizes the 31-bit, Java 8 Java Virtual Machine (JVM) environment.   We will also provide a new bridge module that will utilize the 64-bit, Java 17 JVM.  The Java jar file for each will continue to be compiled using Java 8.  This will preserve backwards compatibility with all existing mainframe deployments (both batch and Customer Information Control System (CICS)).  The installation guides for the program will provide notice of the changes. This will allow users to test upgrades to their systems over the next year to prepare to move to Java 17. 

The release of the HH Grouper effective October 2025, will be compiled with Java 17 and only the Java 17, 64-bit COBOL calling module will be delivered.  Providers and their software vendors should begin planning this year to ensure they are prepared for this conversion next fall. 

Questions about the Java 17 conversion can be sent at any time to the resource mailbox HHGrouperQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.  

Support for the HH-PPS Grouper Software

Additional information can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

For related questions, please use the following contacts:

• Email: HHGrouperQuestions@cms.hhs.gov: Contact for questions with HH PPS Grouper

Home Health PPS Grouper Software Package (for claims through 12-31-2019)

Archived versions of the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Grouper are available for download. The HH PPS Grouper software will only work for OASIS submissions with an assessment completion date from through December 31, 2019. Effective January 1, 2020 the Home Health Patient Driven Grouping Model, or revised Home Health PPS Grouper Software (HHGS), will be used to process Home Health claims.