Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model Sixth Annual Report - Key Takeaways:

The original Home Health Value‐Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model provided financial incentives to home health agencies for quality improvement based on their performance relative to other agencies in their state. The goal of HHVBP is to improve the quality and efficiency of delivery of home health care services to Medicare beneficiaries. Nine states were randomly selected to participate in the original HHVBP Model CY 2016-CY 2021. Home health agencies in these states received performance scores for individual measures of quality of care that were combined into a Total Performance Score (TPS) to determine their payment adjustment relative to other agencies within their state. CMS first adjusted Medicare payments by up to ±3% in 2018, using agencies’ 2016 TPS. Payment adjustments increased each year, peaking at up to ±7% in 2021, the last year of the original HHVBP Model prior to the nationwide expansion of the model in January 2023. This document summarizes the impact observed in 2016 through 2021, the complete six years of the original model, including all four payment adjustment years.

The six years of the original HHVBP Model resulted in cumulative Medicare savings of $1.38 billion, a 1.9% decline relative to the 41 non-HHVBP states, as well as improvements in quality. These impacts were observed during 2021, the fourth and final year for quality-based payment adjustments, as well as in the preceding five years of the original model.

The Two Page Overview:

• Findings At-a-Glance (PDF)

The Report (includes an Executive Summary):

• Sixth Annual Evaluation Report (PDF)
• Go directly to the Executive Summary (PDF)

Additional Supporting Materials:

• Appendix: Data Sources and Quality Measures  (PDF)
• Model Page: Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model