Nation's Home Health Leaders Commend CMS for Not Finalizing Home Health Groupings Model in Final HHPPS Rule

CMS heeded concerns raised by bipartisan Members of Congress, patient advocates and provider community urging collaboration in policy reform

News provided by

Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare

Nov 01, 2017, 20:46 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's leading home health organizations, including the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (Partnership), the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and ElevatingHOME, commend the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for not finalizing the proposed Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HHPPS) Proposed Rule for CY 2018.

"The Partnership thanks leaders at CMS and in the Administration for not finalizing HHGM. By listening to the concerns of their colleagues in Congress and stakeholders throughout the community, CMS has ensured the valuable time we need to come together to create a structure based more on a value-based, patient-centered care approach," said Keith Myers, Chairman of the Partnership. "We look forward to engaging closely with the Administration, as requested in the final rule, to address our concerns and work collaboratively with CMS, the Administration, Congress and the beneficiary community to develop policies that support the delivery of quality care in the most cost-effective setting – the home."

"The National Association for Home Care & Hospice extends its sincere thanks to CMS for its serious consideration of the home health community's concerns regarding the proposed payment model. CMS's actions today will help preserve access to care for the three and a half million Medicare beneficiaries who rely on home health services every year. NAHC stands ready to work with CMS to improve the payment model that is the key to continued access to high quality and cost-efficient care in the home for our most vulnerable citizens," said William A. Dombi, Esq., President of NAHC.

"On behalf of ElevatingHOME, I appreciate CMS' decision not to finalize the HHGM. ElevatingHOME commits to working with CMS to develop a payment reform that comprehensively considers the care needs of the home health patient," stated Tracey Moorhead, President and CEO of Elevating HOME.

The home health community also thanks all the lawmakers who voiced concerns about the proposed model, including hundreds of bipartisan lawmakers in Congress. In the Senate, Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch and 49 of his bipartisan colleagues sent letters to HHS and CMS cautioning against finalizing HHGM. In the House, 179 bipartisan Members of Congress and others sent letters to HHS and CMS asking officials to not finalize HHGM in the rule.

"The Medicare home health benefit enables American seniors and individuals with disabilities to access low cost, clinically effective and patient preferred care in the home. It is critical to achieving our healthcare system's goals of improving outcomes and reducing costs, while keeping patients out of more expensive institutional settings," concluded Myers.

About the Partnership
The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare was established to assist government officials in ensuring access to skilled home healthcare services for seniors and disabled Americans. Representing community- and hospital-based home healthcare agencies across the U.S., the Partnership is dedicated to developing innovative reforms to improve the quality, efficiency and integrity of home healthcare. To learn more, visit homehealth4america.org. To join the home healthcare policy conversation, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and our blog.

About NAHC
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is the voice of home care and hospice. NAHC represents the nation's 33,000 home care and hospice providers, along with the more than two million nurses, therapists, and aides they employ. These caregivers provide vital services to Americans who are aged, disabled, and ill. Some 12 million patients depend on home care and hospice providers, who depend on NAHC for the best in advocacy, education, and information. NAHC is a nonprofit organization that helps its members maintain the highest standards of care. To learn more about NAHC, visit www.nahc.org.

About ElevatingHOME
ElevatingHOME is a 501(c)(6), nonprofit, industry organization that seek to align, unify and strengthen the home-based care industry by promoting home-based care as a central component of high-quality health care delivery models. To learn more about ElevatingHOME please visit www.elevatinghome.org.

SOURCE Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare