Building upon experience from the original Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model (HHVBP Model), this page provides information, resources, and technical assistance to support implementation of the expanded HHVBP Model nationwide.
Have questions about the expanded HHVBP Model? Please send questions to HHVBPquestions@lewin.com. Be sure to include your name and the home health agency’s name and CCN.
Want to stay up to date on the expanded HHVBP Model? Please subscribe to the HHVBP Model Expansion List Serv.
Background
As authorized by section 1115A of the Act and finalized in the Calendar Year (CY) 2016 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) final rule (80 FR 68624), the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) implemented the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model (“original Model”) in nine (9) states on January 1, 2016. The design of the original HHVBP Model leveraged the successes and lessons learned from other CMS value-based purchasing programs and demonstrations to shift from volume-based payments to a model designed to promote the delivery of higher quality care to Medicare beneficiaries. The specific goals of the original HHVBP Model were to:
- Provide incentives for better quality care with greater efficiency;
- Study new potential quality and efficiency measures for appropriateness in the home health setting; and
- Enhance the current public reporting process.
The original HHVBP Model resulted in an average 4.6 percent improvement in HHAs' total performance scores (TPS) and an average annual savings of $141 million to Medicare without evidence of adverse risks. The evaluation of the original model also found reductions in unplanned acute care hospitalizations and skilled nursing facility (SNF) stays, resulting in reductions in inpatient and SNF spending. The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services determined that expansion of the original HHVBP Model would further reduce Medicare spending and improve the quality of care. In October 2020, the CMS Chief Actuary certified that expansion of the HHVBP Model would produce Medicare savings if expanded to all states.
On January 8, 2021, CMS announced the certification of the HHVBP Model for expansion nationwide, as well as the intent to expand the Model through notice and comment rulemaking. On July 7, 2021, CMS published the proposed rule for public comment.
On November 2, 2021, CMS published the CY 2022 HH PPS final rule establishing the end of the original model and the start of the expanded Model. The final rule also established HHA eligibility criteria, payment adjustment rates, definition of cohorts, applicable quality measures, and payment methodology. The final rule appears in the November 2, 2021 Federal Register.
The Expanded HHVBP Model
The expanded HHVBP Model begins on January 1, 2022 and includes Medicare-certified HHAs in all fifty (50) states, District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Calendar Year (CY) 2022 is the pre-implementation year.
During CY 2022, CMS will provide HHAs with resources and training. This will allow HHAs time to prepare and learn about the expectations and requirements of the expanded HHVBP Model without risk to payments. The first full performance year for the expanded HHVBP Model is CY 2023, beginning January 1, 2023. Calendar Year 2025 will be the first payment year, with payment adjustment amounts determined on CY 2023 performance.
Model Details
Under the expanded HHVBP Model, HHAs receive adjustments to their Medicare fee-for-service payments based on their performance against a set of quality measures, relative to their peers’ performance. Performance on these quality measures in a specified year (performance year) impacts payment adjustments in a later year (payment year).
Data from Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), completed Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) surveys and, claims-based measures are used to calculate HHAs’ performance. In a payment year, an applicable percent ranging from -5% to 5% is applied toward Medicare fee-for-service payments.
In the expanded Model, cohorts are determined based on each HHA’s unique beneficiary count in the prior Calendar Year. HHAs are assigned to either a nationwide larger-volume cohort or nationwide smaller-volume cohort to group HHAs that are of similar size and are more likely to receive scores on the same set of measures for purposes of setting benchmarks and achievement thresholds and determining payment adjustments.
Data Source and Measures
OASIS-based
- Improvement in Dyspnea/Dyspnea
- Discharged to Community
- Improvement in Management of Oral Medications/Oral Medications
- Total Normalized Composite Change in Self-Care/TNC Self-Care
- Total Normalized Composite Change in Mobility/TNC Mobility
Claims-based
- Acute Care Hospitalization During the First 60 Days of Home Health Use/ACH
- Emergency Department Use without Hospitalization During the First 60 Days of Home Health/ED Use
HHCAHPS Survey-based
- Care of Patients/Professional Care
- Communications between Providers and Patients/Communication
- Specific Care Issues/Team Discussion
- Overall rating of home health care/Overall Rating
- Willingness to recommend the agency/Willing to Recommend
HHVBP Resources
- HHVBP Model Composite Measure Calculation Steps (PDF)
- HHVBP Model Technical Specifications Composite Outcome Measures (PDF)
- HHVBP Model Newsletter December 2021 (PDF)
Additional Information
- CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Final Rule
- CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Final Rule Press Release
- CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Final Rule Fact Sheet
- Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model (HHVBP Model)