Announcements

Back

Announcements

Prepare NOW for the start of the Calendar Year 2027 Annual Payment Update (APU)
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted February 20, 2025

The calendar year (CY) 2027 annual payment update (APU) data collection requirement for HHCAHPS Survey participation begins with the April 2025 sample month. Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) that are not yet participating in HHCAHPS and served 60 or more survey-eligible patients between April 1, 2024-March 31, 2025 should complete these preparatory steps as soon as possible:

Designate a staff person to serve as the agency’s HHCAHPS Survey Administrator (SA) and have that person register for login credentials on this website at the following link: https://homehealthcahps.org/For-HHAs/Register-for-Login-Credentials.
Then, register the agency’s CCN(s) via the “Register CCNs” link in the For HHAs menu tab after logged in.
Contract with an HHCAHPS Survey vendor listed on the website, beginning with the April 2025 sample month. (https://homehealthcahps.org/General-Information/Approved-Survey-Vendors)
Then, complete the online Vendor Authorization form for that vendor on this website by selecting the “Authorize a Vendor” link in the For HHAs menu after logging in.

For more information on these start-up activities, please refer to the following documents:

Getting Started (this document will be updated early April 2025 to reference the CY 2027 APU participation period): https://homehealthcahps.org/Portals/0/Docs/HHAResponsibilities_and_FAQs.pdf
How to Authorize a Vendor: https://homehealthcahps.org/Portals/0/HHAs_Vendor_Auth_instructions.pdf

On the other hand, Medicare-certified HHAs that served fewer than 60 survey-eligible patients between April 1, 2024-March 31, 2025 are eligible for an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey. Such HHAs must complete the online HHCAHPS Participation Exemption Request (PER) form for the CY 2027 APU period, which will be available on the HHCAHPS website early April 2025. An announcement will be posted with more information about filing for an exemption and when the online PER form for the CY 2027 APU period is available.

Please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team if you have any questions at hhcahps@rti.org or telephone (866) 354-0985.

Deadline for Filing a Request for an Exemption from Participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the CY 2026 APU
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted February 6, 2025

This is a reminder to all Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) seeking an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the calendar year (CY) 2026 annual payment update (APU) period to submit a Participation Exemption Request (PER) form on the HHCAHPS website.

The deadline for submitting the CY 2026 APU exemption request is 11:59 PM Eastern Time March 31, 2025.

As announced in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2025 that was published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2024, Medicare-certified HHAs that served 59 or fewer unduplicated patients between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 who met survey eligibility criteria can request a PER for the CY 2026 APU.

HHAs can access the online PER form on HHCAHPS website at the following link: Participation Exemption Request (PER) Form

For more information about the HHCAHPS Survey, contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

2025 HHCAHPS Survey Training Materials Have Been Posted
Other AnnouncementsPosted January 21, 2025

The agenda and slides for the self-paced 2025 Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey training and the HHCAHPS Survey Vendor Update Webinar training are now posted under the “Training” tab of the HHCAHPS website. As a reminder, all organizations must register to access the Introduction to HHCAHPS Survey training certification and/or to attend the Update training, at this link: HHCAHPS Training Registration Form

In addition, we have posted the following materials on the HHCAHPS website:

HHCAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual, v. 17.0 (accessed via the “Survey Materials” tab);
HHCAHPS Website User and Data Submission Manual, v. 13.0 (accessed via the Data Submission Resources link under the “Data Submission” tab); and
Regular and scannable versions of mail surveys in all languages, with updated year on the cover.

For more information, contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

Public Reporting Results Refreshed on Care Compare; Archived Publicly Reported Data Available on HHCAHPS Website
Public ReportingPosted January 15, 2025

Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey results based on responses from patients who received home health care from Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) from July 2023 through June 2024 are now reported on Medicare’s compare tool at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/. HHCAHPS Survey results are updated each calendar year quarter.

These data are also available on the HHCAHPS website through the “Archived Publicly Reported Data” link under the “General Information” tab. On this webpage, you can access

HHA-level data,
state and national averages,
star ratings cut points,
patient mix adjustment coefficients for the linearized data used to construct the star ratings, and
patient mix adjustment factors

As a reminder, information on how the star ratings were constructed is provided in these Technical Notes.

Click here for more information about how the data were analyzed and for the patient-mix adjustment factors that were used to statistically adjust the results that are currently being publicly reported on CMS’ Compare website.

RTI International will be closed January 20, 2025
Other AnnouncementsPosted January 14, 2025

RTI International will be closed Monday, January 20, 2025, for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

Please contact the HHCAHPS Coordination Team at hhcahps@rti.org or by calling the toll-free number if you have any questions.

CY2024 Quarter 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder: One Week Left
Data SubmissionsPosted January 10, 2025

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, January 16, 2025. We are now one week away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 3 of calendar year 2024 (CY24, Q3).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY24,Q3 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 3, we encourage you to begin submitting your files as soon as possible.

Important Points to Remember:

For each sample month an HHA has no eligible patients, please remember to request an email from them documenting that they had no eligible patients or have them submit a blank monthly patient information file, so that you can submit a 0-eligible file for that month.
Please remember to submit a DNR for any HHAs that do not send you a file.
Data files must pass both the initial and the secondary validation checks.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 16, 2025, you must submit all of your Quarter 3 files on or before Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Since CMS will not accept any files after the data submission deadline, make sure you check your data submission reports to verify that all of your submitted files were accepted. And, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HHA even if their monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

Please feel free to contact us via email or through the toll-free number if you have any questions or need help with data submissions.

CY2024 Qtr. 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted January 2, 2025

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, January 16, 2025. We are now approximately 2 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 3 of calendar year 2024 (CY24,Q3).

Important Points to Remember:

For each sample month an HHA has no eligible patients, please remember to request an email from them documenting that they had no eligible patients or have them submit a blank monthly patient information file, so that you can submit a 0-eligible file for that month.
Please remember to submit a DNR for any HHAs that do not send you a file.
Data files must pass both the initial validation checks and the secondary validation checks.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 16, 2025, you must submit all Quarter 3 files on or before Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Since CMS will not accept any files after the data submission deadline, make sure you check your data submission reports to verify that all your submitted files were accepted. And, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HHA even if their monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

Please feel free to contact us via email or through the toll-free number if you have any questions or need help with data submissions.

HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) Newsletter – January 2025 Edition
Other AnnouncementsPosted January 2, 2025

The next issue of the HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) newsletter has been posted. This edition provides information about HHCAHPS to home health agencies and survey vendors.

This quarter’s issue includes:

Important dates and reminders for HHAs.
Overview of the January HHCAHPS 2025 Update and Introduction vendor training sessions, including a registration link.
- Note: Only survey vendors have training requirements; HHAs are not required to attend.
Spotlight on HHCAHPS Survey Medicare Care Compare publicly reported Composite “Communications Between Providers and Patients” data drawn from the Q2, 2023-Q2,2024 period.

CTQR newsletters are posted on the HHCAHPS website and updated quarterly every calendar year. You can navigate to the January 2025 newsletter located under the General Information tab on the HHCAHPS website or click this link: CTQR Newsletter – January 2025.

The CTQR does not replace any source of information currently on the HHCAHPS website; instead, it highlights important information for readers each quarter. We encourage you to visit the HHCAHPS website for more information on the items mentioned in this newsletter: https://homehealthcahps.org/Home.aspx.

If you have any questions, contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

CY24 Qtr. 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted December 19, 2024

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, January 16, 2025. We are now approximately 4 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 3 of calendar year 2024 (CY24,Q3).

New Important Points to Remember:

For each sample month an HHA has no eligible patients, please remember to request an email from them documenting that they had no eligible patients or have them submit a blank monthly patient information file, so that you can submit a 0-eligible file for that month.
Please remember to submit a DNR for any HHAs that do not send you a file.
Data files must pass both the initial and the secondary validation checks.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 16, 2025, you must submit all of your Quarter 3 files on or before Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Since CMS will not accept any files after the data submission deadline, make sure you check your data submission reports to verify that all of your submitted files were accepted. And, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HHA even if their monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

Please feel free to contact us via email or through the toll-free number if you have any questions or need help with data submissions.

RTI International will be closed December 25, 2024, and January 1, 2025
Other AnnouncementsPosted December 19, 2024

RTI International will be closed Wednesday, December 25, 2024, and Wednesday, January 1, 2025. The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries received during that time beginning the Thursday after each holiday.

Please contact the HHCAHPS Coordination Team at hhcahps@rti.org or by calling the toll-free number if you have any questions.

Older