DALLAS (August 12, 2020)—Homecare Homebase (HCHB) announced an expanded HCHB Analytics tool to help customers quickly and accurately identify the impact of proposed 2021 CMS Medicare reimbursement changes issued July 25th.
As in previous years, HCHB released its new impact model to customers very soon after the CMS proposed changes. This year, the company went a step further to roll out a whole new set of metrics to address behavior assumptions related to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) which began impacting home health agencies starting January 1st of 2020.
This year's impact model features a new analysis tool which tracks agencies’ actual behavior versus CMS behavior change assumptions. Users can see how often they change principal diagnosis codes to higher-paying clinical group, or how often they provide extra visits, which convert LUPAs to standard 30-day payment periods. Both were presumed by CMS as likely outcomes under PDGM and helped determine the 2020 and 2021 reimbursement rates.
The new Home Health Impact Tool (powered by Tableau) goes beyond previous years’ efforts to quickly address CMS changes. For the first time, it allows users to analyze the proposed changes using their own 2020 PDGM periodic data. Users can gain immediate insight into how these changes will impact their business models well before the changes take effect next year.
HCHB users can compare and evaluate projected revenues based on the proposed reimbursement changes, broken down by standard periods, LUPAs and outliers, with a built-in comparison of wage index changes.
In situations where 2020 data does not support the CMS assumed behaviors, agencies can arm themselves with solid data to include in their comment letters to CMS. Last year, CMS set rates based on three assumed behavior changes related to the new PDGM model. While many experts have challenged these assumptions, HCHB customers now have several months of solid PDGM data for defensible documentation and discussions with CMS.
“Data-driven insights are the very heart of HCHB Analytics, which delivers real-time insight to inform best practices and plan strategies for long-term success” said HCHB CEO Scott Decker. “Our newest tool not only keeps customers ahead of proposed regulatory changes, it ultimately gives them more time to focus on exceptional patient care.”
Visit hchb.com for more information.
