Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), and DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Policies
Key claim: CMS finalized calendar year 2027 Medicare payment rates and case-mix adjustments for home health agencies, while updating quality reporting requirements, provider enrollment standards, and durable medical equipment rules.
Abstract
(Rule · Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) This final rule sets forth routine updates to the Medicare home health payment rates in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory requirements. In addition, this final rule discusses the behavior adjustments and finalizes a temporary behavior adjustment. It also finalizes the recalibrated case-mix weights and updated functional impairment levels; comorbidity subgroups; and low-utilization payment adjustment (LUPA) thresholds for CY 2027. Additionally, this final rule discusses and responds to comments on the provision of home health palliative care services and includes a summary of comments received on the request for information (RFI) on a home health specific wage index included in the proposed rule. This rule also finalizes changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) and summarizes potential initiatives to improve alignment between the HH QRP and expanded Home Health Value- Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. Lastly, the rule clarifies the application of the DMEPOS face-to- face encounter requirements for the replacement of DMEPOS items; makes changes to the provider and supplier enrollment requirements; makes changes to implement a DME benefit expansion for infusion pumps and drugs; and discusses collection of information requirement changes regarding the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) country of origin.
Why this matters
The final rule establishes CY 2027 Medicare home health payment rates and case-mix adjustments and updates quality reporting, value-based purchasing, provider enrollment, and medical equipment policies, affecting reimbursement and compliance for agencies and suppliers. The supplied finding does not specify payment amounts or establish whether beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs or covered benefits change.