Home Health QRP Spotlight and Announcements

Now available! Our new Provider Data Catalog makes it easier for you to search & download our publicly reported data. We’ve also improved Medicare’s Compare sites.

About this Page

The page provides recent news and updates pertinent to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program. On this page, you will find announcements about posting resource guides and fact sheets, the availability of Q&A documents, and information about Home Health Compare, among other notifications. Questions about home health quality measures, including the Quality of Patient Care star ratings, can be sent to  HomeHealthQualityQuestions@cms.hhs.gov. For any other questions, please see the Home Health Quality Reporting Program Help Desks webpage to identify the correct contact email and/or phone number.

Find program guidance and information about our response to COVID-19 here: COVID-19 Updates.

Updates

September 26, 2023

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: BIMS and BIMS Summary Score Explainer Video

A brief explainer video, BIMS and BIMS Summary Score: Stopping and Coding an Incomplete Interview is now available for HH Providers. This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Training page.

September 22, 2023

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Understanding Coding for N0415 Explainer Video

A brief explainer video, Understanding Coding for N0415. High-Risk Drug Classes: Use and Indication is now available for HH Providers. This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Training page.

September 15, 2023

COMING SOON: CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports

Next month, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will release two new Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to post-acute care (PAC) providers in the Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) settings: the Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report and the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report. The PAC Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports will stratify the DTC and MSPB measures by dual-enrollment status and race/ethnicity.

An educational webinar recording and fact sheet providing an overview of the Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports will also be released next month.

August 8, 2023

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Social Determinants of Health Items Explainer Video

A brief explainer video, Social Determinants of Health Items: Determining When a Proxy Response is Allowed is now available for HH Providers. This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Training page.

July 19, 2023

Care Compare Quarterly Refresh – July 2023

The July 2023 quarterly refresh for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters.

For additional information on the COVID-19 public health emergency’s impact on public reporting, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the FY 2022 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Update Final Rule (HH Rider).

July 18, 2023

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

July 2023 CMS OASIS Quarterly Q&A’s are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals .

July 17, 2023 

NOW AVAILABLE IN iQIES - Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports for the October 2023 Refresh 

For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters. The HH QRP claims-based measures, with the exception of PPR, have been updated for this refresh and are now based on the standard number of quarters.

Due to the COVID-19 reporting exceptions, PPR continues to be calculated excluding Q1 and Q2 2020 data. For additional information, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission Deadlines webpage. 

The October 2023 refresh will add a new claims-based measure for public reporting:

• Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations (PPH)

The refresh will also remove an OASIS measure from public reporting:

• Drug education on all medications provided to patient/caregiver

Providers have 30 days (until August 16, 2023) 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.  Updates submitted after the final data submission deadline will not be reflected in the Provider Preview Reports or on the Care Compare website. 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.

July 14, 2023

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: BIMS Video Tutorial

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) is offering a new video tutorial for the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) which is now collected on the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS)-E. This training asset demonstrates the BIMS interview and associated coding.

This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

May 24, 2023

Home Health & Hospice Health Equity Technical Expert Panel Report

CMS has released the Home Health & Hospice Health Equity Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Report.  This report provides a summary of the TEP’s input on options for health equity measurement in the home health and hospice care settings. Specific topics include: health equity in hospice and home health, social determinants of heath, disparities in access to care and quality of care, and health equity measurement and monitoring.

The Home Health & Hospice Health Equity TEP Report is available in the “Related Links” section of the Home Health QRP Health Equity webpage.

April 26, 2023

Care Compare Quarterly Refresh – April 2023

The April 2023 quarterly refresh for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters.

For additional information on the COVID-19 public health emergency’s impact on public reporting, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the FY 2022 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Update Final Rule (HH Rider).

April 18, 2023

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

April 2023 CMS OASIS Q&A’s are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals .

April 11, 2023 

NOW AVAILABLE IN iQIES - Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports for the July 2023 Refresh 

For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters.

Due to the COVID-19 reporting exceptions, the claims-based measures have been calculated excluding Q1 and Q2 2020 data from measure calculations. For additional information, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission Deadlines webpage. 

March 21, 2023

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: BIMS, PHQ-2 to 9, and Pain Interview Cue Cards

This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

March 20, 2023

UPDATED RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Video Tutorial: GG0170C. Lying to Sitting on Side of Bed

This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

February 06, 2023

Update to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual, Version 2.0

The HH QRP QM User’s Manual has been updated to reflect quality measure changes since the Manual Addendum Update in October 2020. These changes include measure additions and removals and corrections or clarifications as needed. Please visit Home Health Quality Measures and reference the updated Manual and summary listing of changes in the QM Manual V2 Change Table in the “Downloads” section of the webpage.

January 24, 2023

Care Compare Quarterly Refresh – January 2023

The January 2023 quarterly refresh for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters.

For additional information on the COVID-19 public health emergency’s impact on public reporting, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the FY 2022 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Update Final Rule (HH Rider).

January 17, 2023

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

January 2023 CMS OASIS Q&A’s are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals .

January 11, 2023

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Third Edition Home Health QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet

These resources can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

January 11, 2023 

NOW AVAILABLE IN iQIES - Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports for the April 2023 Refresh 

For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters. Due to the COVID-19 reporting exceptions, the claims-based measures have been calculated excluding Q1 and Q2 2020 data from measure calculations. For additional information, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission Deadlines webpage. 

December 14, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- FINAL OASIS-E Manual

The final OASIS-E Manual, effective January 1, 2023, is available in the Downloads section on the OASIS Users Manuals page. A log of changes since the last posting is also available.

Please note that the effective date for OASIS-E is January 1, 2023. The version of OASIS that should be collected will be based on the M0090 – Date Assessment Completed. The M0090 date is the last date that information used to complete the comprehensive assessment and determine OASIS coding was gathered by the assessing clinician and documentation of the specific responses was completed.

 CMS wants to make clear that with this transition to OASIS-E, there is no need for the use of artificial M0090 dates. All assessments with a M0090 - Date Assessment Completed on or before December 31, 2022, including the last 5 days of 2022 must be completed with OASIS-D1.  This is true even when the first day of the new certification period is on or after January 1, 2023.

 All assessments with a M0090 - Date Assessment Completed on or after January 1, 2023, must be completed with OASIS-E. This is true even when the assessment was initiated in 2022.

October 31, 2022

Posting of the Calendar Year 2023 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule

The calendar year 2023 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule was published on October 31, 2022. The following are the Home Health Quality Reporting Program proposals have been finalized: CMS finalized a proposal to end the suspension of the collection of Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data on non-Medicare/non-Medicaid patients under section 704 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, and to require HHAs to report all-payer OASIS data for purposes of the HH QRP, beginning January 1, 2025. CMS has also finalized updates to regulatory text to consolidate statutory references to data submission and to codify in regulations the HH QRP measure removal factors previously finalized via rulemaking.

The HH PPS Final Rule is available at https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-23722.pdf.

October 25, 2022

POST-EVENT MATERIALS AVAILABLE: The Home Health OASIS-E Guidance Training Program

Post-event materials are now available for the Home Health OASIS-E Guidance Training Program. These materials include the recorded workshop sessions, PDF versions of the workshop presentations, and a post-event Q&A document.

For more information, please visit the HH Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

October 18, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

October 2022 CMS OASIS Q&A’s are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals.

October 14, 2022

Home Health Quality Reporting Program: Non-Compliance Notifications

CMS is providing notifications to home health agencies that were determined to be out of compliance with the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HHQRP) requirements for calendar year (CY) 2021, which will affect their calendar year (CY) 2023 Annual Payment Update (APU). Non-compliance notifications will be distributed by the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and will be placed into Home Health Agencies (HHA) My Reports folders in iQIES on October 14, 2022. HHA’s that receive a letter of non-compliance may submit a request for reconsideration to CMS via email no later than 11:59 pm, November 16, 2022. If you receive a notice of non-compliance and would like to request a reconsideration, see the instructions in your notification and on the Home Health Quality Reporting Reconsideration and Exception & Extension webpage.

Please note: Any reconsideration containing protected health information (PHI) will not be processed. All PHI must be removed in order for a reconsideration to be reviewed.

August 12, 2022

REGISTRATION OPEN: The Home Health (HH) OASIS-E Guidance Training Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a virtual training program that provides instruction on the guidance for the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS)-E.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

August 9, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- Revised Guide to Home Health Help Desks

A revised version of the comprehensive 1-page Guide to Home Health Help Desks is now available in the downloads section of the Home Health Quality Reporting Program Help Desk webpage, https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/Help-Desk.

This document provides guidance to home health providers for questions related to a variety of topics. This updated version includes updated descriptions of the scope and contact information for the various Home Health Help Desks.

July 20, 2022

Care Compare Quarterly Refresh – July 2022

The July 2022 quarterly refresh for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. This refresh resumes the reporting of all claims-based measures for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP). Due to the COVID-19 reporting exceptions, the claims-based measures have been calculated excluding Q1 and Q2 2020 data from measure calculations.

For additional information, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission Deadlines webpage.

July 19, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

July 2022 OASIS Q&As are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals.

July 15, 2022

Recruitment Announcement – Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for Home Health QRP and Hospice QRP Health Equity Quality Measure Development

Abt Associates is currently recruiting a wide range of home health, hospice, and health equity stakeholders, for example, providers, patient advocates, quality improvement, and health equity experts to participate in a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to provide input on a proposed health equity structural composite measure for both hospice and home health care settings.

The Call for TEP materials, including the draft TEP Charter and Nomination Form, are available on the Current TEP Opportunities webpage.

If you have general questions about the TEP and would like to contact Abt Associates, please email HHA_Hospice_HealthEquityTEP@abtassoc.com.

The measure development work is under CMS contract number 5FCMC18D0014 and task order number 75FCMC19F0001.

July 13, 2022 

NOW AVAILABLE IN iQIES - Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports for the October 2022 Refresh 

For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters. Due to the COVID-19 reporting exceptions, the claims-based measures have been calculated, excluding Q1 and Q2 2020 data from measure calculations. The HH QRP claims-based quality measures will not be refreshed for the October 2022 public reporting refresh. The HH QRP claims-based measures will next be refreshed for the October 2023 public reporting refresh of Care Compare and the Provider Data Catalog. For additional information, please see the Home Health QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of this Home Health Quality Reporting Training webpage below.    

For additional information, please see the HH QRP COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet in the downloads section of the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission Deadlines webpage. 

June 21, 2022

Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model Requirements; and Home Infusion Therapy Services

On June 17, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that provides information and updates for the CY 2023 Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP).

CMS is proposing to end the suspension of OASIS Data Collection on Non-Medicare/ Non-Medicaid Home Health Agency (HHA) patients and to require HHAs to submit all-payer OASIS data for purposes of the HH QRP, beginning with the CY 2025 program year.

CMS is also seeking stakeholder feedback on our work on health equity measure development for the HH QRP.

The rule displayed at the Federal Register’s Public Inspection Desk and will be available under “Special Filings,” at:  https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

May 23, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Outcome Assessment Information Set (OASIS) Static Q&AS Effective 05/22 are available in the OASIS-E Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals

May 16, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE – Draft OASIS-E Manual, Updated Draft OASIS-E Instrument, and Updated CMS OASIS Q&As

The draft Guidance Manual for the Outcome Assessment Information Set Version E (OASIS-E) version of the OASIS data set, effective January 1, 2023, is available in the Downloads section on the OASIS Users Manuals page.

The updated draft OASIS-E All Items Instrument is now available in the Downloads section of the OASIS Data Sets webpage. A log of changes since the last posting is also available.

April 20, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

April 2022 OASIS Q&As are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals.

April 6, 2022

CMS will be transitioning to a new data source for a provider’s demographic data for home health agencies and the other Post-Acute Care (PAC) provider types (Skilled Nursing Facilities / Nursing Facilities (SNF/NFs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), and Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs)). Historically provider demographic data have been maintained in the Automated Survey Processing Environment or ASPEN software; however, CMS will be transitioning to use the demographic information from Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS).  While this transition is underway, a final date when all demographic data will be obtained from PECOS has not been identified.  During this transition, all PAC providers will be responsible to ensure their latest demographic data are updated and available in both ASPEN (SNF/NFs, IRFs, LTCHs, and Hospices) or iQIES (HHAs) and PECOS systems. A referencing document that outlines the steps each PAC provider should follow can be accessed in the Downloads section of the How to Update Home Health Demographic Data page. Should you have questions regarding this updated process, please contact the iQIES help desk by email at iQIES@cms.hhs.gov or by phone at (800) 339-9313.

March 01, 2022

Updated Quick Reference Guide Available

An updated Quick Reference Guide is now available in the Downloads section of the  Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements webpage. The Quick Reference Guide provides high-level information on the Home Health Quality Reporting Program, including frequently asked questions and helpful links.

January 26, 2022

NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Second Edition Home Health QRP Public Reporting Tip Sheet

These resources can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

January 18, 2022

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

January 2022 Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) Q&As are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals.

December 6, 2021

OASIS-D Instrument Use Extended

On November 23, 2021 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the extension for the continued use of the OASIS-D instrument. The new expiration date is November 30, 2024. Providers collecting Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) on paper may use up any current inventory prior to using the instruments with the updated expiration date. Versions of the OASIS-D Data Set with the updated OMB expiration notice may be found on the CMS Home Health Quality Reporting Program OASIS Data Set webpage found in the Downloads section of the OASIS Data Sets webpage: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/OASIS-Data-Sets

November 10, 2021

NEW RESOURCES AVAILABLE: Job Aids – GG0130A. Eating, GG0130B. Oral Hygiene, GG0130C. Toileting Hygiene, GG0130E. Shower/Bathe Self, GG0130F. Upper Body Dressing, GG0130G. Lower Body Dressing, and GG0130H. Putting On/Taking Off Footwear.

These resources can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

November 10, 2021

NEW RESOURCES AVAILABLE: Quick Assessment Reference Pocket Guides / Badge Buddies for Coding

These resources can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.

November 2, 2021

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model Requirements and Proposed Model Expansion; Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements; Home Infusion Therapy Services Requirements; Survey and Enforcement Requirements for Hospice Programs; Medicare Provider Enrollment Requirements; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Program Requirements; and Long-term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program Requirements CMS 1747-F

On November 2, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1747-F). The final rule included updates to and finalized proposals for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP).

The rule went on display at the Federal Register’s Public Inspection Desk and will be available under “Special Filings,” at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

October 26, 2021

NEW UPDATED TRAINING AVAILABLE: Section GG 3-Course Training Series

New updated training is available for Section GG 3-Course Training Series. Please find details at the Home Health QRP Training & Education Library.

October 19, 2021

NOW AVAILABLE- Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

October 2021 Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) Q&As are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals.

August 31, 2021

Home Health QRP Website Update

CMS has updated the Data Submission Deadlines webpage, providing an updated schedule for QAO reports and for Care Compare refreshes in CY2022.

August 13, 2021

WEBINAR AVAILABLE – Home Health Quality Reporting Program – OASIS Interim Guidance Webinar (Advanced Webinar)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a new training for Home Health providers intended to highlight some significant Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) guidance refinements that are available in recent Quarterly Q&A releases.

Note:  The webinar is NOT intended to provide basic or comprehensive OASIS training. Listeners are expected to have a foundational knowledge in OASIS data collection and guidelines. The link to the recording of this webinar and handout material is available on the Home Health Quality Reporting Program Training page.

 

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