August 2018: CMS has posted the Home Health Agency Public Use File (PUF) with data for 2016. This PUF summarizes utilization, payment, submitted charges, demographic and chronic condition indicators, and services provided to Medicare beneficiaries by home health agencies. Information includes data on more than 10,000 agencies, 6 million claims and $18B in Medicare payments.
Hospice Compare Quarterly Refresh Available: The May 2018 quarterly Hospice Compare refresh of quality data is now available. It is based on Hospice Item Set (HIS) quality measure results from data collected Q3 2016 – Q2 2017 and Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Survey® results reported Q3 2015 – Q2 2017. Visit Hospice Compare to view the data.
In July 2015, CMS released Home Health Compare, which allows consumers to assess quality of patient care star ratings on an agency’s relative performance for 9 of the 29 quality measures. Ratings are calculated using information from patient assessments performed by the HHA and from Medicare claims submitted by the HHA.
In November 2013, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization issued a report on trends in hospice care use in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, 83.4 percent of hospice patients were 65 years of age or older, and more than half (56.4 percent) were female. While use of hospice in private residences remained steady at 41.6 percent, hospice use in nursing homes declined slightly, to 17.2 percent in 2012 from 18.3 percent in 2011. Among all hospice patients, cancer deaths comprised 25 percent of mortalities; In 2012, the top non-cancer primary diagnoses for patients admitted to hospice in 2012 were debility unspeci?ed (14.2 percent), dementia (12.8 percent), heart disease (11.2 percent), and lung disease (8.2 percent). The full report is available for download as a pdf. In a press release announcing the report, NHPCO officials expressed concern over short-term hospice stays of seven days or less. According to the organization, “In 2012, 35.5 percent died or were discharged within seven days of admission, a statistic consistent with the previous year.”
If you cover the home health care industry, NAHC is a good place to start for industry data on utilization, Medicare vs. private pay, worker profiles, and expenditures. Many of the statistical documents include tables, charts, and graphs. There is a state-by-state breakout tool available to registered NAHC users; however the press office is accommodating and will work with you on specific needs.
PHI provides data on each state’s home health care workforce.