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CY23 Quarter 4 Data Submission Deadline Reminder: One Week Left
Data SubmissionsPosted April 11, 2024

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, April 18, 2024. We are now one week away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 4 of calendar year 2023 (CY23,Q4).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors that have already submitted CY23,Q4 data for their HHA clients. If you have not yet submitted CY23,Q4 data for all or most of your HHA clients, we encourage you to submit 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 April 18, 2024, you must submit all your Quarter 4 files on or before Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
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 any 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.

CY23 Qtr. 4 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted April 4, 2024

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, April 18, 2024. We are now approximately 2 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 4 of calendar year 2023 (CY23,Q4).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors that have already begun submitting CY23,Q4 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 4, 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 April 18, 2024, you must submit all your Quarter 4 files on or before Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
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 any 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.

CY 2026 APU Participation Exemption Request (PER) Form for HHCAHPS Survey, with Updated Related Documents
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted April 1, 2024

The purpose of this announcement is to alert HHAs eligible for an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey that the Participation Exemption Request (PER) Form for the calendar year (CY) 2026 annual payment update (APU) is now available on the HHCAHPS website at the following link:

Participation Exemption Request Form

We have also updated the three HHCAHPS website documents listed below to reflect the CY 2026 APU participation period. The updated documents can be found on the website, in the Information for HHAs box on the Home page. Direct links to those documents are provided below.

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

HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) Newsletter – April 2024 Edition
Other AnnouncementsPosted April 1, 2024

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.

This quarter’s issue includes:

Information for HHAs about participating in the current calendar year (CY) 2026 annual payment update (APU) period, which began on April 1, 2024 and runs through March 31, 2025.
Responses to common questions the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team receives from HHAs related to their publicly reported survey data and Preview Reports.

CTQR newsletters are posted on the HHCAHPS website and updated quarterly. You can navigate to the April 2024 newsletter located under the General Information tab on the HHCAHPS website or click this link: CTQR Newsletter – April 2024.

The CTQR does not replace any source of information currently on the HHCAHPS website; instead, it highlights important information for readers. We encourage you to visit the HHCAHPS website for more information on the items mentioned in this newsletter.

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

HHCAHPS Survey Fact Sheet Now Available
Changes to Survey MaterialsPosted March 29, 2024

Based on feedback from HHCAHPS Survey vendors and participating home health agencies, CMS has provided a one-page fact sheet about the HHCAHPS Survey that participating agencies can provide to patients.

Participating agencies are strongly encouraged to include the HHCAHPS fact sheet in the initial patient information packet so that patients are aware of the survey and its importance. CMS recommends HHCAHPS Survey vendors discuss implementing this fact sheet with their client agencies to help improve patient participation in the survey.

The official HHCAHPS fact sheets in the English and Spanish languages are available on the HHCAHPS website. They are linked in the Information for HHAs box on the Home page.

Agencies do not need prior approval from CMS to use the official fact sheet as long as they do not make any edits other than personalizing the following fields:

The agency name,
The vendor’s name,
The agency’s logo, and
The vendor’s or CMS logo.

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

HHCAHPS Preview Reports with Star Ratings Available
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted March 21, 2024

The purpose of this announcement is to alert home health agencies (HHAs) that Preview Reports reflecting results from the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey from October 2022 through September 2023 (Q4,2022-Q3,2023) are now available on https://homehealthcahps.org via the "Survey Preview Report” link under the “For HHAs” tab. HHA users must be logged into the website to view their report. These same data will be updated on Medicare’s compare tool on https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/ in April 2024.

The Preview Reports present the publicly reported results, which also include star ratings for those agencies with data for 40 or more patient surveys in the 4-quarter reporting period.

For more information about the Preview Reports, please refer to this document on the HHCAHPS website: Understanding the HHCAHPS Survey Preview Reports

For more information about HHCAHPS star ratings, including Frequently Asked Questions, please click here: Star Ratings Information

If HHA users need assistance accessing their Report, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

CY23 Qtr. 4 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted March 21, 2024

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, April 18, 2024. We are now approximately 4 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 4 of calendar year 2023 (CY23,Q4).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY23, Q4 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 4, 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, 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 April 18, 2024, you must submit all your Quarter 4 files on or before Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
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 any 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.

Deadline for Filing a Request for an Exemption from Participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the CY 2025 APU: Final Reminder
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted March 15, 2024

This is a final reminder to all Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) that the deadline for submitting the CY 2025 APU exemption request is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

As announced in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2024 that was published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2023, Medicare-certified HHAs that served 59 or fewer unduplicated patients between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 who met survey eligibility criteria can request a PER for the CY 2025 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.

Prepare NOW for the start of the Calendar Year 2026 Annual Payment Update (APU)
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted February 22, 2024

The calendar year (CY) 2026 annual payment update (APU) data collection requirement for HHCAHPS Survey participation begins with the April 2024 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, 2023-March 31, 2024 should register as soon as possible on this website at the following link: https://homehealthcahps.org/For-HHAs/Register-for-Login-Credentials, and then register the agency’s CCN(s) via the “Register CCNs” link in the For HHAs menu tab after logged in.

HHAs should contract with an HHCAHPS vendor listed on this website beginning with the April 2024 sample month. Once HHAs have contracted with a vendor, they must complete the online vendor authorization form for that vendor on this website. For more information on these start-up activities, please refer to the following documents:

The HHA Responsibilities document will be updated early April 2024 to reference the CY 2026 APU participation period.

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 2025 APU
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted February 8, 2024

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) 2025 annual payment update (APU) period to submit a Participation Exemption Request (PER) form on the HHCAHPS website.

The deadline for submitting the CY 2025 APU exemption request is 11:59 PM Eastern Time March 31, 2024.

As announced in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2024 that was published in the Federal Register on November13, 2023, Medicare-certified HHAs that served 59 or fewer unduplicated patients between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 who met survey eligibility criteria can request a PER for the CY 2025 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.

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