| Electronic Visit Verification for Medicaid Home Health Care Services Requirement Reminder Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reminding states of their responsibility to implement electronic visit verification (EVV) for Medicaid home health care services (HHCS) as required by section 12006(a) of the 21st Century Cures Act (the Cures Act) by January 1, 2023. States not in compliance with these requirements will be subject to incremental Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) reductions. States that encounter barriers, which cause unavoidable delays in achieving compliance by January 1, 2023, may submit a good faith effort application for CMS consideration and, if approved, the state will not be required to implement EVV for HHCS until January 1, 2024. With the HHCS compliance date approaching, CMS is requesting that states either submit a survey response to self-report their EVV implementation status for HHCS or apply for a good faith effort exemption beginning in July of 2022, but no later than December 1, 2022. EVV Compliance Survey for HHCS In advance of the January 1, 2020 EVV compliance date for personal care services (PCS), CMS developed and launched a web-based survey tool for State Medicaid Directors to use to affirm compliance with EVV requirements. The survey tool includes two separate options for states to report their EVV implementation status for PCS and HHCS. States that anticipate full compliance for HHCS by January 1, 2023 are advised to submit or update their survey response for HHCS by December 1, 2022. The EVV compliance survey materials are available to view on Reginfo.gov. CMS will be following up with State Medicaid Directors in July 2022 with specific instructions for completing the survey online. Good Faith Effort Application for HHCS The Cures Act includes a provision that allows states to delay implementation of EVV for HHCS for up to one year if they can demonstrate they have made a good faith effort to comply and have encountered unavoidable delays. CMS will accept requests for good faith effort exemptions for HHCS beginning July 1, 2022. CMS strongly encourages states to submit good faith effort exemption requests by November 1, 2022. To a request a good faith effort exemption, states are required to use the form titled "Good Faith Effort Request Form – Home Health Care Services." The form can be downloaded from Reginfo.gov. Please be advised that only the Medicaid Director or his/her designee can submit this form. Please send completed forms to the EVV mailbox at EVV@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line "[State Name] EVV Good Faith Effort Exemption Request." The EVV mailbox will acknowledge receipt of the form. Only one form per state should be submitted. States that receive approval for a good faith effort exemption do not need to complete an EVV compliance survey response for HHCS until December 1, 2023. Please be advised that CMS does not have authority to extend the timeframe allotted for implementation or the associated FMAP reduction specified in statute. Please email EVV@cms.hhs.gov with any questions about the compliance survey or good faith effort processes. __________________________________________________________________ Improving Maternal Health by Reducing Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery (LRCD) Learning Collaborative Webinars The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Maternal and Infant Health Initiative recently announced the launch of the Improving Maternal Health by Reducing Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery (LRCD) Learning Collaborative. The Learning Collaborative begins with a webinar series to demonstrate the role of LRCD in maternal and infant health and the strategies that state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies can use to reduce LRCD. CMS invites all interested staff from state Medicaid and CHIP agencies, along with their hospital and obstetrical providers, Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans, public health agencies, and other quality improvement partners, to take part in webinar series. To register for one or more of the webinars, click here. Using Data to Plan and Assess Quality Improvement Strategies to Reduce Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery in Medicaid and CHIP Date: June 24, 2022 Time: 1:00-2:00 pm EST This webinar will focus on the importance of collaboratives, specifically on state Medicaid and CHIP agencies' role in leading, convening, and coaching quality improvement partnerships focused on improving maternal and infant health by reducing LRCDs. Experts will describe the elements of successful collaboratives, and state presenters will share how they have worked with partner organizations to reduce the number of low-risk cesarean deliveries. Register in advance for this webinar HERE. ______________________________________________________________________________ Information Session on Improving Maternal Health by Reducing Low-Risk Cesarean Delivery Affinity Group: Overview and Process for Expression of Interest Date: June 29, 2022 Time: 2:00-3:00 pm EST This webinar will explain the goals of the affinity group, present the overall curriculum for states, describe the data needed for LRCD quality improvement projects, and review the Expression of Interest form that states will need to submit if they are interested in participating. Technical assistance staff will be available to answer questions about the application process and LRCD affinity group activities. To participate in the affinity group, please submit an Expression of Interest form, found here , by July 15, 2022, 8:00 PM ET. Register in advance for this webinar HERE. ______________________________________________________________________________ Supporting Youth with Disabilities Transitioning out of Foster Care Learning Collaborative Webinar Date: June 23, 2022 Time: 1:00-2:30 pm EST The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites you to join the final session of a learning collaborative series on June 23, 2022, from 1:00-2:30 pm EST. The June 23rd session will focus on strategies states are using to improve the continuity of services for young people transitioning from foster care. Participants will have the opportunity to actively engage and share among their peers. All interested state Medicaid agencies and partner agencies involved in the delivery of services and supports for youth with disabilities transitioning out of foster care are welcome to participate in the learning collaborative. Registration is limited to 300 participants. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom for the two sessions. We will send future communications to all participants who register. Please feel free to send any questions to HCBS-learning@lewin.com. Register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMtdOqhqzsiGtZknskJ3ZVbjQ8zKUqleaPI __________________________________________________________________ Next Data Submission Period for the CAHPS® Home and Community-Based Services Survey: August 8–26, 2022 Users of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS CAHPS) Survey can submit their data to the HCBS CAHPS Database from August 8–26, 2022. Note that the submission timeline for 2022 is earlier than it was last year. All survey data collected from July 1, 2018–December 31, 2021, can be submitted to the Database. Participation will facilitate comparisons of HCBS CAHPS Survey findings by individual states and HCBS program types. Participation is free, voluntary, and open to all HCBS CAHPS Survey users. CMS is providing advanced notice to ensure states, managed care plans, and supporting entities have adequate time to prepare data use agreements and database submissions. In preparation for uploading information to the Database, HCBS CAHPS Survey users are encouraged to download and complete the HCBS CAHPS Database Data Use Agreement as soon as possible. Users may submit it before August 8, 2022, to HCBSCAHPSDatabase@Westat.com. The HCBS CAHPS Database is a joint project of CMS and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Learn more about the submission requirements. The HCBS CAHPS survey versions eligible for submission are: - Adult Survey 1.0 and
- Adult Survey 1.0 with the supplemental Employment Module.
For more information about the HCBS CAHPS Database, contact 855-580-4657 or HCBSCAHPSDatabase@Westat.com. For technical assistance with HCBS CAHPS implementation, contact HCBSmeasures@Lewin.com. | 
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