Effective April 1st, the April 2025 ICD-10-CM updates introduce several important changes that directly affect home health coding. Highlights include new guidance on obesity-related codes, updated documentation requirements for COVID-19, and multiple revisions to the Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries. Here’s a quick look… Read More »April 2025 ICD-10 Updates: What Home Health Agencies Need to Know
With constant changes in home health regulatory requirements, agencies face the ongoing challenge of improving patient outcomes, maintaining compliance, and optimizing reimbursements. To address this, home health agencies must streamline the documentation process at all levels to ensure accurate and thorough documentation of patient assessments… Read More »Key Foundations for Cohesive Home Health Documentation
CMS replaced the Acute Care Hospitalization (ACH) and Emergency Department (ED) Use claims-based measures with Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations (PPH) in the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. This transition began with the CY 2023 performance year and will affect payments starting in CY 2025. This… Read More »[HHVBP] The Shift to Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations (PPH)
CMS has published preview reports for the upcoming January 2025 Care Compare refresh. HHAs can access this preview data as part of their October 2024 Care Compare Provider Preview Report in iQIES. The January 2025 refresh of Care Compare will include three new home health… Read More »Recap: 3 New Quality Measures on Care Compare (Jan 2025)
As we approach 2025, the home healthcare industry faces significant changes in payments, compliance, and documentation requirements. This year will likely mark a pivotal point for the industry as it adapts to new challenges and opportunities. We have prepared a quick summary of the key… Read More »Preparing for 2025: Key Updates for Home Health
2024 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) Now Available The October 2024 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) for the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model are now available on the iQIES system. This quarterly report offers crucial information for home health agencies, including: IPRs help agencies monitor… Read More »October 2024 IPRs Out Now; HHVBP Preparations for 2025
On November 1, CMS released the CY 2025 Home Health Payment Final Rule. It includes a permanent adjustment of -1.975% to the base payment rate, which is half the total required adjustment (-3.95%) to counter expected PDGM-related behavior adjustment. The rule also finalizes a 2.7%… Read More »Key Takeaways: CY 2025 Home Health Payment Final Rule
The home health Discharge OASIS plays a crucial role in agencies’ performance scores under Value-Based Purchasing and quality reporting (star ratings) programs, as well as in assessing the impact of patient care services on overall patient recovery. Here are practical tips to ensure accuracy in… Read More »6 Tips for Completing a Discharge OASIS
Section C in the OASIS-E Guidance Manual provides instructions for assessing cognitive function through nine key items. Of these, three items—M1700 (Cognitive Functioning), M1710 (When Confused), and M1720 (When Anxious)—are critical for inclusion or exclusion from many OASIS-based outcome quality measures. Accurate assessment of these… Read More »OASIS Cognitive Items: Reviewing Guidelines and Their Impact
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2025 ICD-10-CM updates, which take effect on October 1, 2024. With 252 new codes, 36 deletions, and 13 revisions, it is crucial for Home Health agencies to stay updated with the changes to avoid… Read More »October 2024 ICD Coding Update: Key Insights for HHAs
