Home Health Compare 5-Star Ratings grade patient satisfaction survey data in addition to the quality of care that agencies provide to patients.
Agencies who aren't registered in the program by April 1 will miss the deadline and lose money.
The next annual payment update (APU) period for the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Survey starts April 1, 2016.
Agencies who aren't registered to submit (HHCAPS) Survey data may contact HHCAHPS@RTI.ORG to register, and visit the HHCAHPS Survey website for more information and to choose a survey vendor.
Since 2013, agencies that don't report quality measures, including Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HHCAPS) Survey data, suffer financial loss by missing out on annual payment updates (APU).
To receive the annual payment update (APU) for any given year, home health agencies that do not qualify for an exemption (59 patients or fewer) from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the specified APU must contract with an approved HHCAHPS Survey vendor and administer the survey on an ongoing (monthly) basis, and submit HHCAHPS Survey data to the HHCAHPS Data Center on a quarterly basis.
More information about the HHCAHPS Survey and participation requirements is available in the "HHA Responsibilities" document.
To apply for an exemption, HHAs must count and report to CMS the number of patients served during the specified 12-month period via the online HHCAHPS Survey Participation Exemption Request Form, which is available on the CAHPS website under the "For HHAs" tab.