In order to make pertinent information more accessible to patients, health care providers and health coverage companies, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed the Home Health Agency Utilization and Payment Public Use File (Home Health Agency PUF).
The Home Health Agency PUF is a public file that contains details about utilization, payments and submitted charges for providers, state and home health resource groups.
The report was compiled using data from CMS administrative claims for those receiving Medicare benefits who are also enrolled in the fee-for-service program of CMS's Chronic Condition Data Warehouse. Data from 2013 were used for the current report.
"The Home Health Agency data focuses (sic) on our initiative of achieving better care, smarter spending and healthier people throughout our health care system," CMS administrator Andrew Slavitt said. "CMS has been a pioneer in greater data transparency and views it as key to a more effectively functioning health care system where information flows more freely."
