Update on Star Ratings for Home Health Compare; Upcoming Webinar on Provider Preview Reports

New Information Available. As announced in December, 2014, CMS is planning to add a “star” rating to Home Health Compare (HHC) that will be a summary of some of the current measures of home health care provider performance that the site already offers. CMS shared its plans for implementation of the HHC Star Ratings at Special Open Door Forums in December 2014 and February 2015, and solicited comments and suggestions from stakeholders.  The recordings and transcripts from those calls are posted on the CMS Special Open Door Forums page, http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/ODFSpecialODF.html

An updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which addresses the issues raised in the comments received, is being posted on the Home Health Star Ratings web page at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/HHQIHomeHealthStarRatings.html.

Finalized Methodology. In response to the comments received and further analysis, we have made a number of changes to the HHC Star Ratings methodology. The finalized methodology for calculation of the HHC Star Ratings for the initial publication of HHC Star Ratings in July 2015, is also being posted on the Home Health Star Ratings web page athttp://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/HHQIHomeHealthStarRatings.html .

We anticipate that the methodology for calculating the HHC Star Ratings will continue to evolve over time and we welcome additional stakeholder comments and suggestions, which may be sent toHHC_Star_Ratings_Helpdesk@cms.hhs.gov,

Provider Preview Reports and Webinar. Providers will have the opportunity to preview their HHC Star Ratings and the calculations they are based on before they are published each quarter.  They will also be able to request review of the rating by CMS if they submit evidence that the data used to calculate the measures were inaccurate or incomplete to the extent that their HHC Star Rating was affected. The first round of Star Rating Provider Preview Reports will be distributed to providers (via their CASPER folders on the QIES system) in late March 2015.  CMS is sponsoring a webinar to review the format of the report and the process for requesting review of the HHC Star rating on March 26, 2015 at 1pm ET. To register for this webinar, please use this link: https://www.livemeeting.com/lrs/8000055450/Registration.aspx?pageName=h1m25cfj95z4zdq0  

A sample report illustrating the provider preview report format is also posted for download on the Home Health Star Ratings web page http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/HHQIHomeHealthStarRatings.html.