CMS Rule Sets Requirements for Home- and Community-Based Services

​The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule establishing requirements for home- and community-based services (HCBS) receiving Medicaid funding. The January 10, 2014, final rule implements provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 that promote increased use of HCBS while focusing the definition of such services on the outcomes of care rather than simply on the location in which care is provided, CMS states in an accompanying fact sheet. Among other things, the final rule sets requirements for person-centered care planning to be directed by the individual’s stated goals and preferences; CMS will issue further guidance on how such planning must be operationalized.