Start Out on the Right Path with Home Health Star Ratings

For the first time this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published star ratings to help consumers compare home health agencies when choosing a provider. The release of this first round of Home Health Compare Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings is part of a larger effort by the Department of Health and Human Services to transform the nation’s health care system to allocate money in the best way and place patients at the center of care.

According to the CMS news release, “In addition to summarizing certain data about Home Health Agency performance for consumers, star ratings can also help the agencies identify areas for improvement.” Each Home Health Agency receives a Quality of Patient Care Star Rating that encompasses performance on 9 of the 29 quality measures, including:

• How often the home health team taught patients (or their family caregivers) about their prescribed drugs.
• How often home health patients got better at getting in and out of bed.
• How often home health patients’ breathing improved.
• How often home health patients had to be admitted to the hospital.

Pathway Health Knows the Importance of Measuring Quality Care
Pathway Health provides quality service and post-acute care expertise to skilled nursing, assisted living, home care and hospice providers across the nation. With an increasing focus on delivering quality care, it is more important than ever for facility leaders to understand Quality Measures (QMs) and how they are used for survey outcomes, Star Ratings and public awareness.

Identify opportunities for improving quality outcomes with the following proactive measures:

• Complete a root cause analysis process review to identify key process gaps.

• Review compliance programs and Five Star analysis, in order to develop and implement a focused quality improvement plan.

• Complete a quality regulatory review to ensure adherence to state and federal guidelines.

• Hire an independent, outside expert to provide an objective quality assessment review and provide feedback.

Important Resources for Your Reference:

Home Health Compare—CMS’s public information website for Home Health Agencies

CMS’ Fact Sheet: The Medicare Home Health Benefit