Earns 148 agency recognitions from SHPBest™ award program
LAFAYETTE, La. – LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG) continues to lead its industry peers and exceed national averages in both quality and patient satisfaction measures – according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Five-Star Quality Rating System’s most recent quarterly results, and rankings released by the annual Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHPBest™) award program.
“Once again, LHC Group’s industry-leading measurements demonstrate the fact that we are blessed with an exceptionally deep team of dedicated clinicians, staff, and other professionals around the country,” said Keith Myers, LHC Group chairman and CEO. “We congratulate our nationwide family of providers on achieving these independent recognitions of excellence, and thank them for an unwavering commitment to providing high quality service for each local community we are privileged to serve.”
CMS Star Ratings
The CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System results are released quarterly and rank providers in two categories: “Quality of Patient Care” and “Patient Satisfaction.” The system was instituted by CMS as part of its Home Health Compare website to provide a tool for consumers to use when choosing a home healthcare provider.
In evaluating the most recent CMS scores, Jefferies Group LLC – a New York-based global investment bank and institutional securities firm that provides financial advisory services – once again separated LHC Group’s results based on its previous standalone businesses from its combined star ratings based on the April 2018 acquisition of Almost Family (AFAM) “for historical trend analysis purposes.”
Both LHC Group’s standalone (without AFAM acquisitions) and combined (including AFAM and other recent acquisitions) scores were the highest among providers ranked in the quality and patient satisfaction categories.
In their recent report, Jefferies analysts stated that “home health stars outperformance should fuel share gains…” for providers that continue to deliver industry leading metrics. “Our view is that as hospitals and physicians increase focus on performance-based reimbursements, referral flows will continue to shift toward higher quality players,” the report said.
CMS rates providers on a scale of 1 to 5 stars for both categories – with 5 being the highest rating.
In the quality category, LHC Group (standalone) achieved an average score of 4.67. With Almost Family and recent acquisitions included (combined), LHC Group’s combined quality score was 4.31. The national industry average was 3.27.
In the patient satisfaction category, LHC Group (standalone) achieved an average score of 4.28. Its combined average was 4.05. Both compare favorably with a national average of 3.64. Jefferies analysts also predicted “…continued strong organic admissions growth…” for the top-performing providers (such as LHC Group), “… as we see continued increases in institutional referral flow to these top providers (ACOs and bundled payments are comprising higher percentage of hospital reimbursement, and hospital management teams are increasingly focused on quality metrics due to readmission penalties).”
LHC Group’s most recent CMS Star Ratings achievements for standalone locations also include:
- 99 percent of LHC Group same-store locations have a quality rating of four stars or better.
- 91 percent of LHC Group same-store locations have a patient satisfaction rating of four stars or better.
- 206 LHC Group providers achieved a five-star rating in at least one of the two categories.
- 52 LHC Group providers achieved a five-star rating in both the quality and patient satisfaction categories.
To access more detailed information on the latest CMS scores, visit Data.Medicare.gov.
SHPBest Awards
The annual 2018 SHPBest award recipients (announced in the summer of 2019) were determined by reviewing and ranking the overall satisfaction score for more than 2,500 home health providers and over 1,000 hospice providers. SHP awards “Premier Performer” to providers ranked in the top 5 percent, and “Superior Performer” to providers ranked in the top 20 percent.
A total of 148 LHC Group agencies earned recognition in the 2018 SHPBest award program. The program was created to acknowledge agencies that consistently provide high quality service to their patients. With the largest HHCAHPS (home health) benchmark in the nation, and one of the largest CAHPS Hospice benchmarks, SHP is in a unique position to identify and recognize organizations that have made family and caregiver satisfaction a priority and have been rewarded for their efforts with high survey marks.
Home Health – LHC Group’s home health provider achievements include:
- 40 “Premier Performer” awards (top 5 percent)
- 85 “Superior Performer” awards (top 20 percent)
- This represents 27 percent of the total HHCAHPS awards that were given out in 2018, and an increase from 104 awards in 2017 to 125 awards in 2018.
Hospice – LHC Group’s hospice provider achievements include:
- 12 “Premier Performer” awards (top 5 percent)
- 10 “Superior Performer” awards (top 20 percent)
- Twin County Hospice in Galax, Va., won the “Best-of-the-Best” award for having the highest score among all eligible providers with an overall score of 97.7 percent.
- This represents 17 percent of the total CAHPS hospice awards that were given out in 2018.
Read more about the SHPBest awards program, including methodology and award recipient lists, at https://www.shpdata.com/home-health/shpbest-hhcahps.
In addition, LHC Group remains a national leader in Joint Commission accreditation. Whereas just 15 percent of home health agencies nationwide have achieved Joint Commission accreditation, 100 percent of the company’s home health and hospice locations have earned accreditation or are completing the accreditation process.
About LHC Group, Inc.
LHC Group, Inc. is a national provider of in-home healthcare services and innovations, providing quality, value-based healthcare to patients primarily within the comfort and privacy of their home or place of residence. LHC Group’s services cover a wide range of healthcare needs for patients and families dealing with illness, injury, or chronic conditions. The company’s 32,000 employees deliver home health, hospice, home and community based services, and facility-based care in 35 states and the District of Columbia – reaching 60 percent of the U.S. population aged 65 and older. LHC Group is the preferred in-home healthcare partner for 350 leading hospitals around the country. In 2019, the company was named to the inaugural Forbes list of “America’s Best-in-State Employers.”