In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands on September 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting exceptions for certain quality reporting measures for affected health care providers, including home health agencies.
CMS granted health care providers similar reporting requirement exceptions following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which impacted Texas, Florida and other parts of the Southeastern United States.
The exceptions are applicable to inpatient psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies, hospices, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, renal dialysis facilities and ambulatory surgical centers located in areas affected by Hurricane Maria. The exceptions extend to Medicare quality reporting or value-based purchasing programs.
All 78 municipios in Puerto Rico and all three country-equivalents in the U.S. Virgin Islands are within the major disaster areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Providers located outside these areas may request for an exception to the reporting requirements.
Written by Amy Baxter
