Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights & Announcements

Now available! Our new Provider Data Catalog makes it easier for you to search and download publicly reported data. We’ve also improved Medicare’s Compare sites.

Find program guidance and information about our response to COVID-19 here: COVID-19 Updates.

Updates

June 26, 2024

Care Compare June Refresh of IRF QRP Data – Now Available

The June 2024 refresh of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).

For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting website.

June 18, 2024

CMS IRF-PAI Quarterly Q&As, June 2024, Consolidated June 2020 to June 2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) Quarterly Q&As, in June of 2024. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from June 2020 to June 2024 so that all IRF providers have the benefit of clarifications to existing guidance. Through inquiries to the IRF Post-Acute Care (PAC) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance.

The Quarterly Q&A document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the IRF-PAI and IRF-PAI Manual webpage.

June 14, 2024

IRF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the September 2024 refresh.

For more information, please visit the CMS IRF QRP Public Reporting website.

May 17, 2024

Updated Quick Reference Guide Available

An updated Quick Reference Guide is now available in the Downloads section of the IRF Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage. The Quick Reference Guide provides high-level information on the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program, including frequently asked questions and helpful links.

May 9, 2024

Reminder of Upcoming Data Submission Deadline

The submission deadline for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is approaching. IRF Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) assessment data and data submitted via the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for October 1 – December 31 (Q4) of calendar year (CY) 2023 are due with this submission deadline. The annual NHSN measure Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Personnel is also due with this deadline.

All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 15, 2024.

It is recommended that the applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) reports and NHSN analysis reports are run prior to each quarterly reporting deadline to ensure that all required data were submitted. We encourage you to verify all facility information prior to submission, including CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.

View the list of measures required for this deadline in the Downloads section on the IRF Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage.

For submission information, visit:

• iQIES Reference & Manuals
• CMS Resources for NHSN Users

Swingtech sends informational messages to IRFs that are not meeting Annual Increase Factor (AIF) threshold on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadline. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CCN along with any requested email updates.

March 28, 2024

Care Compare March Refresh of IRF QRP Data – Now Available

The March 2024 refresh of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).

For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting webpage.

March 27, 2024

IRF PPS for FY 2025; and Updates to the IRF QRP (CMS-1804-P) 

On March 27, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (CMS-1804-P) that provides proposals for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Program (IRF QRP). This proposed rule includes four new assessment items in the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) category: (1) Living Situation, (2) Food, and (3) Utilities. CMS is also proposing to modify the Transportation item and remove the Admission class item from the IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI). Finally, CMS is seeking feedback with two Requests for Information (RFIs) on quality measure concepts under consideration for future IRF QRP years and a star rating system for the IRF QRP.

 The proposed rule went on display at the Federal Register and is available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection

March 20, 2024

CMS IRF-PAI Quarterly Q&As, March 2024, Consolidated June 2020 to March 2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) Quarterly Q&As, in March of 2024. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from June 2020 to March 2024 so that all IRF providers have the benefit of the clarifications to existing guidance. Through inquiries to the IRF Post-Acute Care (PAC) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance. While no new Q&As were added to the consolidated document for this release, CMS has archived some Q&As either because the guidance has been added to the IRF-PAI 4.2 Manual, or the Q&As have been retired.

The Quarterly Q&A document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the IRF-PAI and IRF-PAI Manual webpage.

March 15, 2024

IRF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the June 2024 refresh.

For more information, please visit the CMS IRF QRP Public Reporting webpage.

February 1, 2024

CMS IRF-PAI Manual Version 4.2 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) Manual, Version 4.2, effective October 1, 2024. A Change Table outlining the revisions to the CMS IRF-PAI Manual Version 4.2 is also published.

The Manual and Change Table can be accessed via the Downloads section of the IRF-PAI and IRF QRP Manual webpage. 

January 19, 2024

NOW AVAILABLE: CMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document and Methodology Report for the Post-Acute Care Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports 

In October 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to post-acute care (PAC) providers: the Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report and the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report.

To answer frequently asked questions and to provide methodological information about these reports, CMS released the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document and the Methodology Report. The materials can be access through these links: 

• CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document (PDF) 
• CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report Methodology Report (PDF)