Announcement for HHAs on Removing Ineligible Patients from Monthly Samples to Vendors
folder_openInformation for Home Health Agenciescalendar_todayPosted January 5, 2011

This announcement is a reminder to home health agencies that they must exclude ineligible patients from the monthly sample files they send to their HHCAHPS survey vendors OR they must provide a means by which their HHCAHPS Survey vendors can identify ineligible patients so that the vendor can exclude them from the sampling frame.

Ineligible patients that home health agencies should either exclude themselves or provide an indicator such that the survey vendor can exclude them are:

• Patients who are deceased
• Patients who are currently receiving hospice care
• Patients who did not have a home health visit for skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy during the sample month
• Patients whose home care was not paid for by Medicare and/or Medicaid
• Patients who received care for routine maternity care only
• Patients who have a condition or illness for which the state in which the patient resides has regulations or laws restricting the release of patient information for patients with that condition
• Patients who requested that the HHA not release their names to anyone outside the HHA

Both HHAs and HHCAHPS vendors should make especially sure that hospice patients and patients who are known to be deceased are excluded from the sample frame.