What’s happening: New CMS skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing (SNF VBP) measures take effect October 1, 2023 that will determine Medicare Part A rates beginning October 1, 2025.

• SNF VBP is expanding from one measure to eight measures over two years.

Why it matters: Administrators, DONs, finance, QAPI, and operations leaders need to be familiar with these new measures and understand how they will impact future reimbursement rates.

• Adopting best practices now to prepare for these new measures will help avoid Part A payment penalties and potentially boost future incentive payments. 
• AHCA has developed a one-hour course, SNF VBP Essentials,to help you understand the new measures, detailing how CMS calculates VBP measures, risk adjustment, facility score and payment adjustments. The course provides instructions on using a SNF VBP prediction calculator tool (included with the course) that helps estimate the financial impact the measures will have on a nursing facility’s Medicare Part A revenue.

Details on SNF VBP Essentials: The training delves into the existing all-cause hospital readmission measure and the three new measures to be counted this October 1. Also covered are the four additional measures CMS will incorporate into SNF VBP calculations effective October 1, 2024. 

Sign up: Registration for SNF VBP Essentials is $40 for members and $80 for non-members.

• The course is approved for 1.25 NAB CEs and 1.00 contact hour through the Iowa Board of Nursing upon course completion. 
• Individuals must login to ahcancalED and register for the course under their individual login. Members will need to login with their AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords. For assistance obtaining AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords, please e-mail educate@ahca.org with your name and facility contact information.