Deadline for Filing a Request for an Exemption from Participating in the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey for the 2013 Annual Payment: Final Reminder
folder_openInformation for Home Health Agenciescalendar_todayPosted January 9, 2012

This is a final reminder to all home health agencies (HHAs) that were exempted from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the 2012 APU that you must submit a new Participation Exemption Request form if you qualify for and are seeking an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the 2013 APU. If your agency served more than 60 patients between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 and you have already begun participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the 2013 APU, you may ignore this message.

As announced in the 2011 Home Health Prospective System Payment Update Final Rule published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2010, Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 59 or fewer unduplicated patients between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 who met survey eligibility criteria may request an exemption from participating in the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey for the CY 2013 APU.

To receive an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the 2013 APU, agencies are required to count the number of unduplicated patients served from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011 who met survey eligibility criteria and report the count to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via the online Participation Exemption Request form on the HHCAHPS Web site at the following link. https://homehealthcahps.org/ForHHAs/ParticipationExemptionRequestForm.aspx

The deadline for submitting the exemption request is at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Saturday, January 21, 2012.

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.