Delta Connect Blog

CMS has proposed that the split payments made to home health agencies under the Request for Anticipated Payment (RAP) process will end in 2021.  As an interim step, no new home health care agency will receive RAPs in 2020 and home health agencies that have been in operation since prior to 2019 will receive 20% of the expected final payment amount in contrast to the 60% initial episode/50% later episode levels that have been in place since 2000.

On December 8^th, MedPAC convened for a public meeting regarding payment adequacy and updates for home health care services. For the past several years, MedPAC has recommended deep rate cuts for home health services along with a series of policy changes ranging from the institution of copayments to program integrity measures. The 2017 report to Congress looks like a rerun of many of the past recommendations that have not been adopted by Congress.