October 2023 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) Now Available: CMS Releases New Guidelines

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October 2023 HHVBP IPRs Now Available: Review your performance and identify areas for improvement

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the second quarterly Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) for the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. The IPRs are available to home health agencies (HHAs) through the Internet Quality Improvement Evaluation System (iQIES). Read the new HHVBP model here.

The IPRs provide HHAs with their cohort assignment, performance year measure data for the most recent 12 months, and interim Total Performance Score (TPS). Home health agencies can use the IPRs to assess and track their performance relative to peers in their respective cohorts throughout the expanded Model performance year. Keep reading this blog post to get all the information you need to know from CMS.

New Information in the October 2023 IPRs

The October 2023 IPRs include the following new information:

Six months of 2023 performance year data for OASIS-based measures: This will give HHAs a better sense of where they stand on these items.
Three months of 2023 performance year data for claims-based and HHCAHPS Survey-based measures: This is the first report from CMS that includes this data. HHAs can compare their October performance scores with those in the July 2023 IPR to see if their scores are trending in the right direction.

How to Access the October 2023 IPRs

To access the October 2023 IPRs, home health agencies should:

Log into iQIES at https://iqies.cms.gov/.
Select the My Reports option from the Reports.
From the My Reports page, select the HHA Provider Preview Reports.
Select the HHVBP file to view the desired report. To quickly locate the most recently published report, select the down arrow adjacent to the Created Date label at the top of the table. This will order the reports in the folder from newest to oldest.
Select the file name link and the contents of the file will display.

Instructions on how to access the IPRs are also available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage, under “Model Reports.”

HHAs have the opportunity to submit a recalculation request for applicable measures and interim performance scores if they believe there is evidence of a discrepancy in the calculation. To do so, HHAs must submit a request within 15 calendar days after publication of the IPR. For the October 2023 IPR, HHAs must submit a recalculation request by November 10, 2023.

Comparing your July and October IPRs

When comparing the July and October IPRs, it is important to note that the data time periods differ. The October 2023 IPR reports 12 months of data, ending June 30, 2023, for OASIS-based measures, and ending March 31, 2023, for both the claims-based measures and Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Survey-based measures.

IPRs provide HHAs with an opportunity to monitor their performance in the expanded Model and compare their performance to other agencies in their cohort. Upon receipt of the October 2023 IPR, HHAs can compare their October performance scores with those in the July 2023 IPR. Note – the final version of the July 2023 IPR, published August 21, 2023, is available for download in iQIES.

How SimiTree Can Help

The October 2023 IPRs provide HHAs with valuable information about their performance in the expanded HHVBP Model. HHAs should carefully review their IPRs and use the information to identify areas where they can improve.

SimiTree is a leading provider of home health consulting services. We have a deep understanding of the VBP program and can help your agency prepare for the future. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.