Link to the Final Rule - CMS Publishes Home Health Final Payment Rate in Federal Register for 2014

CMS Publishes Home Health Final Payment Rate in Federal Register for 2014

CMS has published the Final Rule for Home Health Prospective Payment System update for 2014. It will impact home health payments for the next four years.  The current year impact will reduce home health payments by 1.05 percent or $200 million, but the future impact will be much worse.

Urban Episode Base Rate       $2,869.27

Rural Episode Base Rate         $2,955.15

The above rates include a 34.64% increase in base rate for case mix, but the case mixes are also reduced by percent adjusted in case mix.  Remember the case mix rates are reduced by 34.64%.  The real rates without the impact of adjusting the case mix rates are a reduction of $28.76 or 1.34%.

LUPA Rates     Urban Episodes          Rural Episodes

SN                    $121.10                       $124.73

PT                    $132.40                       $136.37

OT                   $133.30                       $137.30

SP                    $143.88                       $148.20

MSW               $194.12                       $199.94

HHA                   $54.84                         $56.49

Remember all base episode payment rates and LUPA rates must be adjusted for wage index and all rates will be reduced by 2 percent for home health agencies that do not report quality data.

Your episode rates will be reduced by $80.95 for rebasing in 2015, 2016 and 2017.  You will also have a reduction inflation factor adjustment of 1% in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

We will be presenting the “2014 Home Health PPS Final Rule – 2014 in a Webinar” on Wednesday December 4^th from 3:00 to 4:00 PM EST.   It will cover the CMS Rebasing of Home Health Payments, Home Health Episode Payment Rates, LUPA Payment Rates, Medical Supply payment Rates, Changes in Home Health Agency Case Mix, Home Health Wage Index, the 170 Codes Removed from the Home Health PPS Grouper, and Changes in Home Health Quality Reporting.  Richard Dixon will be present the Webinar Live, but you can also review the webinar at a later time because it will be recorded.  The registration fee is only $149 for your entire company.  The fee includes handout you will receive via email.  For more information please go to www.dixonhsi.com and click on the PPS 2014 Webinar.

The link to the final rule is listed below

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-12-02/pdf/2013-28457.pdf