The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) unanimously voted on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 to recommend cutting the home health base payment rate by seven percent in CY2025 and freezing the hospice update to 2024 Medicare base payment rates for FY2025. MedPAC, which advises Congress on Medicare payment issues, previously released draft recommendations for these reductions in December 2023.

 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new Cost Report PUF for Home Health, which includes data for 2020-2021. These products were developed using the Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS) and provide external and internal stakeholders with a curated set of variables in a user-friendly format (e.g., more descriptive variable names).

 

The Home Health Agency Provider Cost Report dataset provides select measures from the home health agency annual cost report. This data includes provider information such as facility characteristics, utilization data, cost and charges by cost center (in total and for Medicare), Medicare settlement data, and financial statement data organized by CMS Certification Number.

 

RESOURCES FOR USING AND UNDERSTANDING THE DATA
This data is gathered from the home health agency annual cost report information maintained in the Healthcare Provider Cost Reporting Information System (HCRIS). The data does not contain all measures reported in the HCRIS, but rather includes a subset of commonly used measures.

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In December, CMS released a request for information (RFI) on the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model to help inform potential future Model policy development. This RFI seeks information on various aspects of the VBID model, particularly hospice care, including hospice access and network adequacy considerations. This RFI also includes questions regarding health equity, including flexibilities that would enable Medicare Advantage Organizations to target VBID benefits based on certain factors. Comments are due to the VBID Mailbox at VBID@cms.hhs.gov by Jan. 31.

 

NHPCO will submit a response to the RFI and is soliciting member feedback through a Qualtrics survey. To ensure your comments inform the final response, please complete the survey by Wednesday, Jan. 26.

 

Home care companies have always had to deal with a gray market in senior care, or an “underground” caregiver workforce. But as the cost of providing care continues to rise, providers may find themselves in more of a bind than before.

 

Broadly, caregivers that are part of the underground workforce are individuals who are unaffiliated with a home care agency. They are typically working independently and are hired directly by the client or family.