Challenges in the New Prospective Payment System: Action Steps for Social Work in Home Health Care (Editorial) (Editorial‪)‬

A prospective payment system (PPS) for Medicare-funded home health care was implemented in October 2000, changing the 35-year history of reimbursing home health care (HHC) agencies on a fee-for-service basis. Under the PPS HHC agencies are reimbursed a flat rate per patient, based on a variety of case-mix adjusters. This change in the reimbursement system has a ripple effect on how services are provided--a shift from focusing on service output to service outcomes. These changes present an opportunity for HHC social workers to become a more integral part of the home health team and to offer much needed psychosocial services to elderly patients. This article covers the background on the PPS, HHC, and social work practice roles in HHC and proposes policy research action steps for the social work profession. The action steps were developed at a policy advocacy roundtable discussion on the "Impact of Prospective Payment System (PPS) on Social Work Services in Home Health Care," which took place on April 17, 2001. POLICY ROUNDTABLE MEETING