Clinical implications of prospective payment in home health care

Now that the final regulations governing the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health care have been published in the Federal Register (vol. 65, no. 128, July 3, 2000, rules and regulations, p. 41,228), home health agencies (HHAs) can begin to finalize their plans to operate efficiently under PPS. Although an undercurrent of optimism already is appreciated in response to the PPS, agency survival will hinge on fully understanding prospective pay and the data on which it is based.