The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released a first-ever quality measure set to promote consistency across all state Medicaid home-and community-based services. CMS said the purpose of the set is to provide insight into the quality of HCBS programs and provide a way for states to measure and improve health outcomes for people who rely on long-term services and supports.
“Today’s announcement provides states with tools to better understand and compare health outcomes across groups receiving home- and community-based services,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement. “The use of consistent quality measures across the country is another step toward reducing health disparities and ensuring that people with disabilities, and older adults enrolled in Medicaid, have access to and receive high-quality services in the community.”
Implementation of the HCBS quality measure set will create opportunities for CMS and states to promote more consistent use, within and across states, of nationally standardized quality measures in HCBS programs to promote health equity and reduce disparities in health outcomes among this population, CMS said.
A State Medicaid Director Letter will be included in the HCBS quality measure set that will describe the purpose of the program, measure selection criteria and considerations for implementation. Although the measures are voluntary, the agency is strongly encouraging states to use the information to improve the quality of HCBS programs and outcomes.
Nationally, over 7 million people receive HCBS through Medicaid, which accounts for approximately $125 billion a year in state and federal spending.
