A Special Open Door Forum (SODF) has been announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the new set of star ratings for the Home Health Compare website. The SODF is Thursday, May 7, 2015 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The agenda and participation instructions can be found here.
Home Health Agencies are encouraged to participate in the SODF which will cover the following:
- The rationale for the HH-CAHPS Patient Survey Star Ratings
- A detailed description of the methods for calculating the ratings and assigning stars
- A question and answer session
The patient survey star rating system was initially mentioned by CMS last year during the first star ratings SODF held December 17, 2014. The feedback from this and subsequent SODFs proposed the inclusion of patient experience of care measures based on HH-CAHPS survey data.
The purpose of the Home Health Star Ratings is to provide an additional method for consumers and other stakeholders to evaluate the performance of home health agencies by displaying it in a format that is easy to view and understand. The star system does not replace the Home Health Compare information, but rather summarizes it using a 5-star rating system.
The star ratings will now be distinguished by their data source: the “Quality of Patient Care Star Rating” (formerly HHC Star Rating) is based on OASIS assessments and claims data; and the “Patient Survey Star Ratings” system is based on HH-CAHPS data.
Axxess will continue to monitor developments of the Patient Survey Star Ratings and incorporate any changes into its 5-star report offering and other tools to empower customers for success and excellence in patient care.