Encore Presentation – Navigating Performance Feedback Reports: Interim Performance Report (IPR) and Annual Performance Report (APR)

On Tuesday, October 11^th, the HHVBP TA Team hosted the live encore of the August 25^th webinar: Navigating Performance Feedback Reports: Interim Performance Report (IPR) and Annual Performance Report (APR). During this event, the TA Team, using the sample reports now available on iQIES, introduced the two (2) types of expanded HHVBP Model performance feedback reports: IPRs and APRs. Content included a review of the purpose, availability, timing, and location of the reports, followed by a walkthrough of each report type and the content on each tab in the reports.

Understanding important details for each report type and navigating the reports are essential skills for an HHA to accurately and efficiently track, trend, and identify report information to interpret their Total Performance Score and potential payment adjustments, and inform Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) initiatives.

As this webinar was a live encore presentation of the August 25^th webinar and contains the same content from the first webinar (with the exception of the Q&A portion), you can access the August 25^th slides, recording, and Q&A on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage. The recording and Q&A for the October 11^th event will be available on the webpage in 1-2 weeks.

Sample Reports Available

For learning purposes only, CMS provided two sample reports– one for the Interim Performance Report (IPR) and one for the Annual Performance Report (APR). These sample reports do not include actual HHA performance data. The content of the sample reports is based on the same scoring methodologies and other policies as presented in the CY 2022 HH PPS final rule. Information in the sample reports includes:

• An overview of the IPR and APR;
• Achievement, Improvement, Care Points, Measure Scorecard, and TNC Change Reference tabs;
• Annual Payment Adjustment tab in the APR;
• Formulas and Notes to explain the calculations of the Total Performance Score (TPS) in both reports, and the Final TPS-adjusted payment percentage in the APR; and
• Sample percentile rankings reflecting the agency’s performance relative to the performance of other CCNs in their cohort.

The sample reports are available in iQIES, and on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage, under the “Model Reports” section.

How the U.S. Will Revamp Family Caregiver Support

Hospice News / By Jim Parker

Without family caregivers, many hospice patients would be unable to receive care in their homes.

To help keep patients at home — the lowest-cost setting of care — the federal government recently unveiled a National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, which has more than two decade’s worth of advocacy behind it.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the strategy late last month. It includes close to 350 federal programs to assist the more than 53 million Americans who care for seriously ill or disabled loved ones in their homes, according to the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), an HHS sub-agency.

The strategy also contains 150 recommendations for state and local government, as well as the private sector.

Support for family caregivers is an important step towards controlling health care costs, particularly for Medicare and Medicaid, according to Greg Link, director of the Office for Supportive and Caregiver Services at ACL.

“The value of family caregiving is estimated to be about $470 billion per year. If these family caregivers were to suddenly disappear, the health care system as we know it likely would be on the hook for that additional $470 billion of support and service,” Link told Hospice News. “We have an opportunity through some of the data, research, and actions that are in the strategy to get closer to understanding the real dollar value of caregiving, and also what a relatively small investment in supporting caregivers could ultimately save the health care system.”

The strategy is built on five pillars: increasing awareness of and outreach to family caregivers, advancing partnerships with those individuals, ensuring their financial and workplace security, strengthening services and support, and expanding research and evidence-based practices.

HHS has opened up a public comment period on the strategy to solicit feedback from stakeholders, meaning that hospice and palliative care providers have an opportunity to give input. The department plans to update the policies every two years and will use that feedback to shape some of those changes.

Read Full Article

Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) Action Needed

Many thanks to those who have already signed your respective state letter asking our Senators to support S. 4260, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA). 

As we enter the final week for sign-on, we wanted to send another reminder and encourage you all to please push this far and wide to your networks and anyone who may be interested in joining. You are welcome to share this on your organization’s social media accounts as well!

Here is the form to sign on the letter. 

The deadline to join is October 19, 4:00 pm MT.

Again, the purpose of these letters is to demonstrate to Senators that individuals in their states support the bill and request they cosponsor PCHETA. More than 60 organizations support this legislation, but many Senators need to hear from their constituents that this issue is important back home.

We also encourage you to use the Hospice Action Network’s Action Alert to send an email to our Senators, asking them to cosponsor PCHETA. 

Renewal of Public Health Emergency Determination

On October 13, 2022, Secretary Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, renewed the PHE for COVID-19. The renewal is for 90 days, through January 11, 2023. The renewal states:

"As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective October 13, 2022, the January 31, 2020, determination by former Secretary Alex M. Azar II, that he previously renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, October 2, 2020, and January 7, 2021, and that I renewed on April 15, 2021, July 19, 2021, October 15, 2021, January 14, 2022, April 12, 2022, and July 15, 2022, that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide."