IMPACT Act Signed into Law; Changes to Five-Star System, Home Care CoPs
October 10, 2014 | Aging Services Risk Management
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On October 6, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act, which "puts in place new and streamlined quality measures for nursing homes, home health agencies, and other post-acute care providers participating in Medicare," according to an October 6 White House press release. A summary presents an overview and highlights. The act will require postacute care providers to report standardized assessment data, which will be used for the purposes of patient assessment, quality comparisons, resource use measurement, and payment reform; require the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to send reports to Congress utilizing assessment data so that Congress can consider reforms for paying for postacute care; and include provisions designed to protect beneficiary choice of and access to care.