by Marian Essey, RN, BSN, COS-C
The Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model has many rich resources to help agencies learn and follow the Model. OASIS Answers has been working with CMS on the HHVBP Model since it’s inception in 2015 and one of the things that our team has learned from the many agencies that we work with nationally is that you need to stay in tune with the resources to stay on top of the Model.
Someone once told us, “It’s not easy to understand [the HHVBP Model], but once you learn the Model and then keep up with the resources, it all starts to fall into place. That’s what we found helped us succeed in the Model.”
Although most resources are available on the Expanded HHVBP Model Webpage, some are more elusive but are definitely the hidden gems in the Model resources. Here are the top five need-to-know resources for those who want to stay in the know of the HHVBP Model:
Resource #1 – HHVBP Model Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CMS periodically updates the Expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). These were last updated in May 2024. Don’t be intimidated by this 60-page document. The new/updated FAQs are at the beginning of the document, to assist those in the know focus on the updates.
It also has a very comprehensive list of terms, definitions, and acronyms that will be the “go to” when your or your staff have questions on the terms that may be new to you or more challenging to understand.
Resource #2 –HHVBP Model Guide, December 2023
If there is one place to start with HHVBP, it’s the Expanded HHVBP Model Guide. This is the soup-to-nuts document that lays out the basics of the Model. Everyone can learn something from the Model Guide. The only downside is that it has not been updated since December 2023, so there are definitely updated FAQs you want to check out for FAQs that were updated after December 2023.
Resource #3 – HHVBP Model Reports
Once you have the Model Guide and FAQs under your belt, you’re going to want to start diving into your agency’s HHVBP Reports. “Want to” is not the sufficient phrase to describe your approach to the Model Reports. “Need to” is definitely more appropriate here as you 1) don’t want any surprises with your HHVBP payment adjustment in the future and 2) want to use these as part of your agency’s quality monitoring plan to monitor your progress in the Model and on your quality measures.
These reports are in iQIES. Quick plug for the CMS iQIES reports: Go to your iQIES reports and don’t rely solely on your vendor reports. Yes, vendor reports are great, and can be a very valuable supplement to your quality measure report repertoire, but only CMS has all the CMS data. Therefore, if you don’t want surprises in your HHVBP data/payment adjustment, use the CMS HHVBP Reports in addition to your vendor reports.
Resource #4 – HHVBP Model Newsletters
Every quarter, CMS posts an Expanded HHVBP Model Newsletter. These are very quick reads that you can finish over a cup of coffee. They really do help to simplify some pretty complex information AND they’ll let you know about any new or upcoming resources.
One Starbucks Caramel Macchiato + One HHVBP Newsletter = You are in the know and feeling jazzed for HHVBP! Links to all the Model newsletters is available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage.
Resource #5 – Coming Soon!
August 13, 2024 Webinar: CY 2024 Annual Performance Report (APR) What You Need to Know!
This webinar is being offered to educate home health providers about the first APR, including how to interpret the APR, the appeals process, the CY 2023 performance, and the corresponding APP in CY 2025. To receive an email notification when registration opens, and emails for future training resources or events, register to be added to the Notification List.
We hope you find this list of resources helpful!
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