Medicare LTC Payments To Rise

Under the proposed rule, home health agencies that submit required quality data would receive payments with an increase of 2.9%, but those that failed to meet the reporting requirement would see an increase of only 0.9%.

CMS’s proposal would evaluate home health care by measuring reductions in hospital admissions for beneficiaries and improvements in such areas as patient mobility, pain reduction, self-care and the condition of wounds.

“The continued improvement in the quality of and access to home health services will be enhanced through this additional public reporting of quality information,” said CMS Acting Administrator Leslie V. Norwalk. “These changes are significant steps toward Medicare becoming an active purchaser of high quality, efficient care.”