Overview of the Interim Performance Report Learning Event and Recalculation Request Extension, New Total Normalized Composite (TNC) Change Measures Resource Available, Updated FAQs

In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) – Overview of the Interim Performance Report (IPR): The July 2023 IPR Learning Event

On July 27, 2023, members of the HHVBP Model Technical Assistance (TA) Team hosted a live event, Overview of the Interim Performance Report (IPR): The July 2023 IPR, to provide an opportunity for home health agencies (HHAs) to understand and review the content of the first quarterly Interim Performance Report (IPR) for the calendar year (CY) 2023 performance year. The presentation included the timeline for the CY 2023 performance year, how to access the IPRs, the content in each IPR tab, the recalculation request process, and relevant expanded Model resources available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage.

The pre-event versions of the slide deck, script, and written resource, Interim Performance Report (IPR) – Quick Reference Guide, are available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage, under “Model Reports”, so HHAs can begin to review the content of the IPR. A recording of the July 27th webinar and transcript will be available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage in the coming weeks.

available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage in the coming weeks.

ICYMI - Revised Preliminary July 2023 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) Available in iQIES. Recalculation Request Process Extended to Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023, CMS reissued the Preliminary July 2023 IPRs for all HHAs that are eligible to receive a report to address two display issues that caused some cells to incorrectly display blanks or “0.000”. Below is a summary of the issues identified for the Preliminary July 2023 IPR, published on July 20, 2023, and the solutions:

Issue #1: There are cases where “0.000” appears in cells that reference other cells in the report. One example is the column labeled Your HHA’s Performance Year Measure Value on the Improvement tab that pulls in measure values from the equivalent column on the Achievement tab. The column shows measure values on the Achievement tab but “0.000” on the Improvement tab. This display error occurs for Microsoft Excel users who do not have formulas enabled automatically.

Solution: CMS removed all dynamic cell references in the report to allow all HHAs to view values regardless of Microsoft Excel settings.

Issue #2: On the Measure Scorecard tab, the values listed in the Your HHA’s Weighted Measure Points column (column F) for the five individual HHCAHPS Survey-based measures (cells F22 through F26) were inadvertently displayed as blank cells.

Solution: The revised version of the Preliminary July 2023 IPR includes the display of the individual HHCAHPS Survey-based weighted measure points on the Measure Scorecard tab.

It is important to note that this display error did not affect the calculation of any values in the Preliminary IPR published on July 20, 2023, including the sum of HHCAHPS Survey-based measures (cell F27) and the sum of all measures/interim Total Performance Score (cell F28).

**The deadline to submit a recalculation request for the Preliminary July 2023 IPR is Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Instructions on how to submit a recalculation request are available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage.

Calculating Episode-Level Predicted Values for the Total Normalized Composite (TNC) Change Measures

A new resource, “Calculating Episode-Level Predicted Values for the Total Normalized Composite (TNC) Change Measures,” has been published on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage under “Quality Measures.”

This resource describes the calculation of episode-level predicted values for the TNC Change measures using the technical specifications for these measures. Calculations and effects of risk adjustment are illustrated in two (2) examples and 13 patient scenarios. The examples and scenarios demonstrate how risk adjustment levels the playing field for home health agencies (HHAs) competing under the expanded HHVBP Model.

Updated Edition of FAQs Available

The July 2023 edition of the “Expanded HHVBP Model Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)” is available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage. The FAQs assist HHAs in understanding common terms and essential elements of the expanded HHVBP Model. The HHVBP TA Team provides updates to the FAQs as needed and notifies HHAs that have signed up to receive communications when an updated version is available on the Expanded HHVBP Model webpage.