Hello, everyone and welcome to our Monday Minute. Today I want to share with you some updated information regarding the coming implementation of the Value Based Purchasing nationwide rollout.
The Value Based Purchasing model is set to begin for the entire nation on January 1, 2023. The Value Based Purchasing model, as we have discussed, will include that agencies across the nation be grouped into two cohorts: the large cohort and the small cohort. The large cohort being all agencies that have a large enough patient volume to be required to participate in HHCAHPS. If you do not have that level of volume within your organization, you would be in the small cohort. In the most recent information that’s been released, it appears that there will be over 7000 Home Health agencies included in the large cohort, and just under 500 Home Health agencies that will be included in the small cohort.
In early May, the benchmark and achievement thresholds were released that will be utilized in the calculation of the Total Performance Scores (TPS) with this nationwide rollout of Value Based Purchasing. The benchmarks reflect the top 90th percentile of scores within the baseline year, which is 2019. The achievement thresholds represent the mean score of all agencies that are in the corresponding cohort. They did separate the benchmark and achievement thresholds between large cohort and small cohort. We will provide a link to that updated information in the content of this minute. Your software vendors have been waiting on the benchmark and achievement thresholds from the baseline year in order to give you accurate information. We are hopeful that they are working diligently, and we will be able to see some more accurate projections in the very near future.
I also wanted to mention that there has been some confusion surrounding the claims data that will be utilized in the Value Based Purchasing rollout next year. The confusion is that there are two claims’ data elements included in the Value Based Purchasing model, the acute care hospitalization measure and the emergency department use measure, both of which are being completely eliminated from the Home Health Quality Reporting Program beginning January 2023. They will continue to be utilized in the Value Based Purchasing Total Performance Score calculations, but they will not be replaced with the new one measure that will be utilized in the Home Health Quality Reporting Program. Understand that the acute care hospitalization measure and the emergency department use measure, even though they will be removed from Home Health Quality Reporting Program, they will continue to be reflected and used in the calculations under the Value Based Purchasing model.
It is extremely important that you begin to prepare your organization for this coming implementation, that includes that you are reviewing your scores. If you were in one of the nine states that participated in the Value Based Purchasing demonstration, you will have those scores to use and reflect on to see where you would be at this point. If you were not in one of the demonstration states, you’re going to need to look at your outcome measures that are related to the associated measures that will be utilized in the Value Based Purchasing model and begin education in the elements that your agency appears to be deficient in.
We can all always work on HHCAHPS and getting responses back. Keep in mind, that an agency must have at least 40 surveys returned from your beneficiaries in order for you to have a calculation of HHCAHPS scores in the Value Based Purchasing model.
Hopefully, this has been helpful today, especially to clear up the confusion surrounding the acute care hospitalization and emergency department use measures. We are very excited about all the live conferences occurring this summer. I have already seen many of you at the state conferences, and as we move through the summer hope to continue to see you at the state and national association conferences.
We hope you have a fabulous week. Thank you so much for participating and if we can help in any way as you begin to prepare for Value Based Purchasing please let us know. Have a great day.