How Home Health Agencies Can Adapt To TEAM and HHVBP Models

Home Health Agencies | By Audrie Martin

The landscape of home health care is evolving through the introduction of two key models designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs: the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model and the Targeted Episode-Based Medicare Access and Payment (TEAM) model.

These initiatives incentivize home health agencies to provide high-quality, coordinated care while addressing the challenges associated with insufficient treatment for chronic health conditions. Ultimately, they aim to create a more efficient health care system for Medicare beneficiaries.

The primary model currently impacting home health providers is the expanded HHVBP model, according to ATI Advisory. This model adjusts Medicare payments based on a home health agency’s (HHA) performance on quality measures compared to their peers, rewarding agencies that deliver high-quality care.

In a fee-for-service health system, Medicare beneficiaries who qualify for home health care often receive inadequate and uncoordinated care for their chronic health conditions, according to ATI Advisory. This situation leads to increased emergency department (ED) visits, hospital admissions or placements in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

How the expanded HHVBP model affects HHAs

The expanded HHVBP model aims to improve the quality and efficiency of home health care. It was implemented on Jan. 1, 2022, and includes Medicare-certified HHAs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The calendar year 2022 served as a pre-implementation year during which CMS provided HHAs with resources and training. The first full performance year was 2023, and the calendar year 2025 is the first year for payment adjustments based on performance in 2023.

The expanded HHVBP model builds on the success of the original model, which improved total performance scores among home health agencies by an average of 4.6%, according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The original model also decreased unnecessary ED visits, improved patient mobility and reduced Medicare spending by $141 million…

Read Full Article