CMS issued a proposed rule for FY 2017 skilled nursing facility (SNF) payment rates and information on quality programs on April 21, 2016. Within the document, CMS provides information about the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) that will require SNFs to report quality data to CMS beginning in FY 2018. The QRP is being implemented as a requirement of the IMPACT Act of 2014.
The IMPACT Act requires the development of Quality Measures and ways to measure resource use, leading the Agency to propose the following new assessments:
- Drug Regimen Review Conducted with Follow-up for Identified Issues. This is the only assessment-based measure that is being proposed in this document, and it would be for the FY 2020 payment determination. CMS continues to push SNFs towards reducing unnecessary drugs, reducing medication-related adverse events in nursing homes, and improving quality of life and care.
- There are 3 proposed claims-based measures that would impact the FY 2018 payment determination. These include:
- Discharge to Community – Post Acute Care (PAC) SNF QRP
- Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) – PAC SNF QRP
- Potentially Preventable 30 Day Post-Discharge Readmission Measure for SNFs
CMS also proposed that the measure and data submission requirements follow the Calendar Year (CY) instead of Fiscal Year (FY). For the QRP, a period for provider review and correction would be included. The data would be submitted with quarterly deadlines.
The proposed rule was published in the April 21, 2016 Federal Register, and comments will be accepted until June 20, 2016.