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CMS

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks public input on the concept of establishing a National Directory of Healthcare Providers and Services (NDH) that could serve as a centralized data hub for health care provider, facility, and entity directory information nationwide. The goal of this directory is to improve access to care, reduce clinician burden, and support interoperability throughout the health care sector.

CMS is seeking comment on how a CMS-led directory could reduce directory maintenance burden on providers and payers by creating a single, centralized system, promoting real-time accuracy for patients.

Feedback obtained in response to the RFI will aid CMS’ understanding of the current landscape of health care directories, as well as information useful to CMS when considering an NDH. CMS is specifically requesting public feedback on the NDH concept and potential benefits, provider types, entities and data elements that could be included to create value for the health care  industry, the technical framework for an NDH, priorities for a possible phased implementation, and prerequisites and actions CMS should consider taking to address potential challenges and risks.

The RFI will be published in the Federal Register on October 7, 2022. Comments on the RFI will be accepted through December 6, 2022.

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RCPA has been in communication with the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA), who has been working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) do not face inappropriate non-compliance penalties related to the IRF Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI) version 4.0 that is set to go into effect tomorrow (October 1, 2022). One particular concern is new items in version 4.0 do not include a “skip logic” to account for unplanned discharges that classify as incomplete stays. This oversight could lead to many IRFs not meeting the 95 percent data completion threshold for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Program (IRF QRP).

Yesterday, CMS released a statement on the issue along with a Question & Answer (Q&A) document. CMS also noted that the agency will determine if a permanent fix is necessary and will release any related guidance or data specifications in the coming weeks.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced the launch of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) Funding Reporting portal. The online portal will be available on September 30, 2022, for OLTL providers to submit costs associated with ARPA funding distributed in 2021 in order to comply with DHS reporting requirements.

Background: ARPA Funding Information 

In 2021, federal funding from ARPA was allocated by the General Assembly under Act 24 and enacted by Governor Wolf to provide funding to nursing facilities (NF), personal care homes (PCH), and assisted living residences (ALR). These ARPA funds should be used for COVID-19 relief for costs not otherwise reimbursed by federal, state, or other sources of funding.

In addition, ARPA provided a temporary 10 percent increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). The funding must be used to enhance, expand, or strengthen HCBS. OLTL outlined in its plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiatives to strengthen the workforce and assist Adult Day Services (ADS) providers. The OLTL ARPA plan directed funding to Personal Assistance Service (PAS), Community Integration (CI), and Residential Habilitation (Res Hab) providers to assist with recruitment and retention of direct care workers. The plan also directed additional funding to providers to strengthen ADS.

ARPA funding must be used for things such as sign-on bonuses, retention payments, COVID-19 related leave benefits and paid time off, vaccination incentives, and/or the purchase of personal protective equipment and testing supplies. Additionally, ADS providers can use the funding for retrofitting adult daily living centers, expenses to re-open the centers, and expenses to develop alternative models to provide ADS.

Additional detailed information about the distribution of the 2021 ARPA funding can be found on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers web page.

ARPA Funding Reporting Portal
Effective September 30, 2022, providers can access the portal and begin to report ARPA 2021 costs. Providers can access the portal through the Funding Portal Login web page. The first report due date will be November 30, 2022, and should reflect two reporting periods. Providers are required to submit reports in the portal on a bi-annual basis thereafter according to their exhaustion of the funds. Please reference the chart below.

Report Period 

Due Dates 

07/01/2021 – 12/31/2021

01/01/2022 – 06/30/2022

 11/30/2022
07/01/2022 – 12/31/2022 2/28/2023
 01/01/2023 – 6/30/2023 8/30/2023
 07/01/2023 – 12/31/2023 2/28/2024

Providers must keep all documentation related to the costs reported in the final cost report for a minimum of five years.

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The Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and the Provider Data Catalog during the Care Compare refresh in December 2022. For additional information, please visit the CMS IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Public Reporting website. The deadline to review the information is October 17, 2022.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a quarterly (consolidated from June 2020 to September 2022) inpatient rehabilitation facility patient assessment instrument (IRF-PAI) Question and Answer (Q&A) document in light of the release of the IRF-PAI 4.0. This document focuses on questions submitted to the IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk related to the IRF-PAI version 4.0 and consolidates guidance from prior releases.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks public input on accessing healthcare and related challenges, understanding provider experiences, advancing health equity, and assessing the impact of waivers and flexibilities provided in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).

The Make Your Voice Heard: Promoting Efficiency and Equity Within CMS Programs RFI furthers CMS’ commitment to engaging and learning from partners, communities, and individuals across the health system to inform how we can better support the populations we serve. In alignment with Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, the CMS Strategic Plan Pillar: Health Equity, and the CMS Framework for Health Equity (2022–2032), this RFI aims to gather feedback and perspectives related to challenges and opportunities for CMS to embed health equity into their efforts encouraging innovation, reducing burden, and creating efficiencies across the healthcare system.

CMS is seeking to better understand individual and community-level burdens, health-related social needs, and opportunities for improvement that can reduce disparities and promote efficiency and innovation across programs. CMS is requesting information related to strategies that successfully address drivers of health inequities, including opportunities to address social determinants of health and challenges underserved communities face in accessing comprehensive, quality care. For example, challenges accessing care may include understanding coverage options, receiving culturally and linguistically appropriate care, accessing oral health services, and accessing comprehensive and timely healthcare services and medication.

Through this RFI, CMS also seeks to better understand the factors impacting provider wellness and learn more about the distribution of the healthcare workforce. CMS is particularly interested in understanding the greatest challenges for healthcare workers in meeting the needs of individuals, and the impact of CMS policies, documentation, and reporting requirements, operations, and communications on provider experiences.

Comments received in response to the Make Your Voice Heard RFI will be used to identify opportunities for improvement and to increase efficiencies across CMS programs. In addition, CMS hopes to learn how specific programs have benefited providers, practices, and the people served.

CMS encourages comments from all interested stakeholders, in particular, patients and their families, providers, clinicians, consumer advocates, and healthcare professional associations. CMS also encourages comments from individuals serving and located in underserved communities and from all CMS stakeholders serving populations facing disparities in health and healthcare. The RFI is open for a 60-day public comment period.

Comments must be received by November 4, 2022, to be considered.

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