Medicare Value-Based Purchasing Trial Coming to Home Health Agencies in 9 States

​The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to begin testing a value-based payment model for home care beginning in 2016, according to a proposed plan published in the July 10, 2015, Federal Register. Under the proposal, part of the home health prospective payment system for the coming calendar year, selected home health agencies will compete for increases in payment based on reported quality metrics. Increases or reductions could be as much as 8% of current Medicare payments.