Hurricane Exceptions

Due to the ongoing effects of the public health emergency caused by the effects of Hurricane Helene, CMS is extending exceptions to some reporting measures for impacted organizations in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Exceptions for California

CMS is granting exceptions under some Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs due to the public health emergency in California caused by wildfires and straight-line winds.

For details, please visit the CMS Current Emergencies page.

Public Reporting Refresh

Home Health Care CAHPS results based on responses for Home Health Agencies from Q3 2023 – Q2 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) are now reported on Care Compare. The HHCAHPS Compare Data integration into NRC Health benchmarks is complete for the upcoming benchmark period ‘10-01-2024’.

Expanded HHVBP Model Preliminary Reports

Preliminary January 2025 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) are Available to HHAs on the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). IPRs are available to HHAs who were Medicare certified prior to January 1, 2023 and met the minimum threshold for at least one of the following quality measures:

Important Notes from Vendor Update Training

NRC Health attended CMS vendor update training and would like to share some important highlights:

• For the CY 2026 APU period, HHCAHPS Survey participation is required for April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025. If an HHA served fewer than 60 patients from April 2023 – March 2024, they can submit a Participation Exemption Request (PER) Form here by the March 31, 2025 deadline.
• A revised, shortened version of the HHCAHPS Survey is currently going through the pre-rulemaking process. A Final Rule is expected in early November 2025.
• A new Fact Sheet has been published, containing general information on the HHCAHPS Survey. HHAs are strongly encouraged to include in the initial patient information packet to help educate patients about the survey. The Fact Sheet is available in English and Spanish.
• Mixed-mode survey administration continues to show the highest response rates when compared to mail only and phone only.

Vendor Authorization Deadline

Facilities participating in the 2025 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey must have an active contract with an approved survey vendor and have authorized that vendor by the February 28, 2025 deadline. A new vendor authorization can be completed when logged in to the ICH CAHPS website and is only required if:

• Your organization is participating in ICH CAHPS for the first time,
• Your organization is changing to a new survey vendor, or
• Fall 2024 is listed as the ending survey period in your existing vendor authorization.

If your facility served fewer than 30 survey eligible patients in calendar year 2024 and you do not intend to participate in ICH CAHPS in 2025, please complete a Non-Participation Form (NPF) by logging on to the ICH CAHPS website by February 28, 2025. NPFs are valid for one year.

ICH CAHPS Coordination Team Semi-Annual Review

The ICH CAHPS Survey Coordination Team publishes a semi-annual newsletter. The January 2025 edition is now available on the ICH CAHPS website and contains important updates and reminders for the upcoming year, including an update on the revised survey on the horizon, which will be 23 questions shorter than the current survey. It is currently in Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review.

Semiannual Newsletter

The January 2025 edition of the PCF PECS Semiannual Newsletter has been published and can be found here. The newsletter covers important information including:

• 2024 reports will be released by CMS in June 2025
• Reminder that the deadline to authorize a survey vendor is June 20, 2025
• As 2025 is the final year for Cohort 1, they will not participate in the PEC Survey

Psychiatric Inpatient Experience Survey

The Psychiatric Inpatient Experience (PIX) Survey was designed to obtain feedback on the care experience of patients who receive services in inpatient psychiatric facilities. It was finalized for inclusion in the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting (IPFQR) Program in the fiscal year 2024 IPF Prospective Payment System Final Rule for mandatory reporting beginning with CY 2026 (for FY 2028 payment determination). Survey administration is optional in CY 2025.

For additional information on the survey and partnering with NRC Health, click here.

CAHPS Insider Live Webcast

On February 5th, NRC Health hosted a live webcast highlighting HCAHPS reporting, reflecting on 2024, and looking ahead into 2025. Missed it? No worries! You can catch the recording here.