Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights & Announcements
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights & Announcements
Updates
April 11, 2025
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment system (PPS) and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program (QRP) for FY 2026 (CMS-1829-P)
On April 11, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (CMS-1829-P) that provides updates to the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Program (IRF QRP). In this proposed rule, CMS is proposing the removal of the COVID–19 Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure; the COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Patients/Residents Who Are Up to Date measure; and four assessment items in the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) category: one item for Living Situation, two items for Food, and one item for Utilities. CMS is also proposing to amend the IRF QRP reconsideration policy and process. Finally, CMS is seeking feedback with four Requests for Information (RFI) including potential revisions to the IRF-PAI; future quality measure concepts for the IRF QRP; potential revisions to the data submission deadlines for assessment data collected for the IRF QRP; and advancing digital quality measurement in IRFs.
The proposed rule went on display at the Federal Register and will be available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection
March 26, 2025
Public Reporting March 2025 Refresh of IRF QRP Data – Now Available
The March 2025 refresh of the IRF QRP data is now available on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
March 14, 2025
LTCH 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 the compare tool on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the June 2025 refresh.
For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
January 17, 2025
NOW AVAILABLE: Frequently Asked Questions Document and Methodology Report for the Screen Positive for Health-Related Social Needs Indicator Confidential Feedback Report (available in HH, IRF, and LTCH)
CMS has released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document and Methodology Report to answer key questions and provide methodological information about the Screen Positive for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) Indicator Confidential Feedback Report.1 To access these and other materials relating to the Screen Positive for HRSN Indicator report, please go to the following Post-Acute Care Quality Reporting Program Training & Education pages:
- Home Health Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Long Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
1 CMS released the initial Screen Positive for HRSN Indicator report to Home Health, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, and Long-Term Care Hospital providers in October 2024. CMS plans to release this report to Skilled Nursing Facility providers beginning in October 2025, when a full Fiscal Year of data (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025) will become available for the first time.
January 15, 2025
CMS IRF-PAI Manual Version 4.0 Errata
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing an errata document to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) Manual, Version 4.2, effective October 1, 2024. This errata document is being issued to clarify guidance in Chapter 2.
The errata document can be found in the Downloads section on the IRF-PAI and IRF QRP Manual webpage.
December 19, 2024
SUMMARY REPORT PUBLISHED: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Listening Session: Revising the Transmission Schedule for the IRF-PAI
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a summary report on the virtual Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Listening Session that was held on October 22, 2024, by RTI International. This session was held to seek feedback from clinical staff, administration and management staff, and software vendors on possible revisions of the transmission schedule for the IRF Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) assessments. The report presents a summary of the presentation for each discussion topic, input from interested parties for each of the discussion questions, and key findings. The summary report also includes the feedback received via email in the 30 days following the event. The report can be found in the Downloads section on the IRF QRP Measures Information webpage.
December 18, 2024
Public Reporting December 2024 Refresh of IRF QRP Data – Now Available
The December 2024 refresh of the IRF QRP data is now available on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
December 16, 2024
CMS IRF-PAI Quarterly Q&As, December 2024, Consolidated June 2020 to December 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) Quarterly Q&As, in December of 2024. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from June 2020 to December 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.
December 16, 2024
IRF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available
The 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 the compare tool on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the March 2025 refresh.
For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
October 15, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: Screen Positive for Health-Related Social Needs Indicator Confidential Feedback Report for HH, IRF, and LTCH with Educational Webinar and Fact Sheet
On October 15, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the new Screen Positive for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) Indicator Confidential Feedback Report to Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH).1 This report presents summary information for your patient population on four HRSN data elements: Health Literacy, Need for Interpreter Services, Social Isolation, and Transportation. Results for this initial report are calculated using data from October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024, and will be updated quarterly based on the most recent 12 months of available data. This report is provider-generated in the Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES).
To support providers in accessing and understanding this new report, CMS has released an educational webinar recording and the related webinar slides and transcript. We also released a fact sheet that provides an overview of the Screen Positive for HRSN Indicator Confidential Feedback Report. For information on how to generate your report and to access the webinar recording video and related slides, transcript, and fact sheet, please go to the following Post-Acute Care Quality Reporting Program Training & Education pages:
- Home Health Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Long Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
1 CMS plans to release this report to Skilled Nursing Facility providers in October 2025, when a full Fiscal Year of data (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025) will become available for the first time.
September 30, 2024
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Listening Session: Revising the Transmission Schedule for IRF-PAI Assessment Data
RTI International, on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is hosting a public, virtual listening session on the possible revision of the transmission schedule for the IRF Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) assessment data used in the IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP). IRFs are required to report these data with respect to admission and discharge of all patients, regardless of payer, discharged on and after October 1, 2024. The IRF setting is unique from other post-acute care (PAC) settings, such as Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) and Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), because of its single patient assessment data transmission requirements. On behalf of CMS, we are seeking feedback from clinical staff, administration and management staff, and software vendors.
Prior to the listening session, you are encouraged to prepare to speak to the following topics during the call:
- Data collection, submission, and systems considerations related to separating the submission of the IRF-PAI into multiple time points, e.g., admission, discharge, or patient expiration.
- The feasibility of creating an interim assessment, like the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Interim Payment Assessment (IPA) that would only include items necessary to calculate a case mix group (CMG).
- Other feedback about technical aspects of IRF-PAI data collection and the submission of quality data.
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 2pm ET
Registration Link: Registration can be completed online through Zoom using this link: https://rtiorg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BiXCR4QTQR2pEqy8eYA1Fw
September 25, 2024
Care Compare September Refresh of IRF QRP Data – Now Available
The September 2024 refresh of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
September 16, 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 the compare tool on Medicare.gov and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the December 2024 refresh.
For more information, please visit the CMS IRF QRP Public Reporting website.
September 4, 2024
UPDATED RESOURCE AVAILABLE: From Data Elements to Quality Measures Cross-Setting Web-Based Training
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated web-based training course that provides a high-level overview of how data elements are used to construct quality measures used across post-acute care settings.
This resource can be accessed through the IRF QRP Training webpage.
September 3, 2024
IRF QRP FAQs for FY 2025
An update to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document is now available. This document has been updated to reflect the finalized policies for the IRF QRP in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and includes other useful resources available to providers.
The FAQ document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the IRF Quality Reporting FAQs webpage.
September 3, 2024
IRF QRP Data Elements Used for Reporting Assessment-Based QMs and Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements Affecting FY 2027 AIF Determination and Data Collection and Final Submission Deadlines for FY 2027 posted
The Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Overview of Data Elements Used for Reporting Assessment-Based Quality Measures and Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements Affecting Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Annual Increase Factor (AIF) Determination table and the IRF QRP Data Collection and Final Submission Deadlines for the FY 2027 IRF QRP are now available.
The FY 2027 IRF QRP AIF Table can be accessed via the Downloads section of the IRF QRP Measures Information webpage. The FY 2027 IRF QRP Data Collection and Final Submission Deadlines document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the IRF QRP Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
August 30, 2024
IRF QRP Quality Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual V6.0, Change Table, Risk Adjustment Appendix File, Imputation Appendix File, and HCC ICD-10 Crosswalks – Now Available
The Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Quality Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Version 6.0 and accompanying documents are now available. These documents serve as an update to the specifications used to calculate quality measures that are included in the IRF QRP effective October 1, 2024.
These files can be found in the Downloads section of the CMS IRF QRP Quality Reporting Measures Information webpage.
August 26, 2024
Rehabilitation Innovation Centers 2024
On August 26, 2024, CMS published the inaugural list of the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers 2024. This designation recognizes rehabilitation facilities that lead the nation in medical research, complex treatment and that drive innovative research for the entire field of rehabilitation. The inaugural list can be found on the Rehabilitation Innovation Centers webpage.
August 26, 2024
UPDATED RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Section GG Web-Based Training Series
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated series of web-based training courses that provide an overview of the assessment and Section GG guidance found in the IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI) Version 4.2 to promote accurate coding of the post-acute care (PAC) cross-setting data elements.
This resource can be accessed through the IRF QRP Training webpage.
July 31, 2024
IRF PPS for FY 2025; and Updates to the IRF QRP (CMS-1804-F)
On July 31, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1804-F) that provides policy updates for the fiscal year (FY) 2028 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Program (IRF QRP). This final rule includes the addition of four new assessment items in the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) category: Living Situation, Food, and Utilities to the IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI). CMS also modified the Transportation item and removed the Admission Class item from the IRF-PAI. Finally, CMS sought 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 and provided a comment summary back to interested parties.
The final rule went on display at the Federal Register and is available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection
- July 24, 2024
- NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Patient Mood Interview (Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-2 to 9©) Video Tutorial
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a video tutorial for completing D0150, Patient Mood Interview (PHQ-2 to 9) and D0160, Total Severity Score. Within the video, the PHQ-2 to 9 assessment and related coding is demonstrated using excerpts from two patient interviews.
- This resource can be accessed through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.
July 19, 2024
NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: What You Need to Know: PAC QRP Key Program Updates – FY/CY 2025 Web-Based Training
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides an overview of key updates to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
This resource can be accessed through the IRF QRP Training page.
July 3, 2024
IRF Quality Reporting Program: Non-Compliance Notifications
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing notifications to Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) that were determined to be out of compliance with IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for calendar year (CY) 2023, which will affect their fiscal year (FY) 2025 Annual Increase Factor (AIF). Non-compliance notifications will be distributed by the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and will be placed into facilities’ My Reports folders in the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) on July 03, 2024. Facilities that receive a letter of non-compliance may submit a request for reconsideration to CMS via email no later than 11:59 pm, August 14, 2024. If you receive a notice of non-compliance and would like to request a reconsideration, see the instructions in your notification letter and on the IRF Quality Reporting Reconsideration and Exception & Extension webpage.
Please note: any reconsideration containing protected health information (PHI) will not be processed. All PHI must be removed in order for a reconsideration to be reviewed.
Page Last Modified:
04/25/2025 10:35 AM