The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs located in areas affected by the Hurricane Ian disaster to assist these providers while they direct their resources toward caring for patients and repairing structural damages to facilities.

The 26 affected counties designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Florida Hurricane Ian disaster declaration are located at Designated Areas: Disaster 4673 under sections Public Assistance PA-A and PA-B of the FEMA website.

CMS is granting an exception for all Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP) reporting requirements, including the reporting of data on measures and any other data requested by CMS for the post-acute care quality reporting programs, for the following quarters:

The deadlines remain as shown in the table above. If FEMA expands the current emergency disaster declarations to include additional counties, sections PA-A and PA-B will be updated to reflect the newly designated counties.

Providers located outside the counties listed in the FEMA disaster declaration are not covered by this Extraordinary Circumstances Extension/Exception (ECE), but they may request an exception to the reporting requirements under one or more Medicare quality reporting or value-based purchasing programs they participate in using the applicable ECE procedure for the respective program(s). In addition, providers located within a county listed in the FEMA disaster declaration who seek an exception for a reporting requirement not covered by this communication may request an individual exception using the applicable ECE procedure for the respective program(s). CMS will assess and decide upon each extraordinary circumstances exception request on a case-by-case basis.

To request an exception, visit the Home Health Quality Reporting Program ECE Information webpage. For questions related to content posted on this page, contact the CMS Reconsiderations Team at HHAPUReconsiderations@CMS.HHS.gov.