How to Update Home Health Demographic Data

Quality data on Care Compare is updated quarterly. The data displayed on Care Compare includes demographic information, such as an address, telephone number, and ownership.

Below are the steps to guide providers on how to verify and update home health demographic data.

Step 1: Verify Demographic Data is Accurate

Home health providers need to review their Home Health and Quality of Patient Care Star Rating and Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Provider Preview Reports to verify that the demographic data is accurate. The Preview Reports reflect the quality measure data and home health demographic information that will be posted to Care Compare in the following quarter. The Preview Reports are available in the “My Results” folder in Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) during the 30- day preview windows prior to each quarterly Care Compare refresh.

Step 2: If Demographic Data is Inaccurate

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be transitioning to a new data source for a provider’s demographic data for all Post-Acute Care (PAC) provider types (Skilled Nursing Facilities / Nursing Facilities (SNF/NFs), Home Health Agencies (HHAs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) and Hospices).  These demographic data include provider name, provider mailing address, provider physical address, State, ZIP Code, etc.  These provider demographic data are displayed on the Provider and Quality Measure reports generated from the internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Additionally, these same demographic data are displayed on the Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) websites.

While CMS will be transitioning to use the demographic information from Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS), the final date when all demographic data will be obtained from PECOS has not been identified.  During this transition, PAC providers will be responsible to ensure their latest demographic data are updated and available in both the PECOS and iQIES systems.

The referencing document that outlines the steps each PAC provider should follow has been updated. Should you have questions regarding the processes, please contact the iQIES help desk by email at iQIES@cms.hhs.gov or by phone at (800) 339-9313.

Note - Updates to the home health provider demographic information do not happen in real-time and can take up to 6-months to appear on Care Compare.