Preparing for HHCAHPS Changes

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On April 1, CMS is implementing significant updates to the HHCAHPS survey that will heavily focus on patient-centered care and feedback. As a result, several reporting metrics, including three current survey-based measures from the Expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model are being removed, and the weight of HHCAHPS in the total performance score may shift for larger-volume agencies.

This webinar, featuring input from our strategic partner and leading home health consulting organization SimiTree along with our own in-house experts, will help agencies understand:

HHCAHPS fundamentals: sampling, administration basics, public reporting, and why they matter for agency reputation and performance management
What’s changing in April 2026: what CMS finalized, what it means for trend lines, and why HHVBP is removing three HHCAHPS-based measures tied to the prior survey composites
How to analyze HHCAHPS like an operator (not just a report reader):
- Item and composite performance “triage”
- Segmentation (branch, clinician, survey question)
- Identifying correlation trends to Willingness to Recommend and Overall Rating questions
Opportunity-finding methods that work in the real world:
- Driver-style prioritization (impact vs effort)
- Linking survey items to communication, culture, and practice changes (i.e., leveraging technology, scheduling, first visit, discharge calls, care coordination, etc.)
- Creating leading indicators so you’re not waiting months for survey feedback from CMS
Operationalizing the data: how to build a monthly cadence — dashboards, huddles, coaching, and accountability — so improvements stick

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Presenters

Micah Goodman

Senior Product Manager | Relias

Micah Goodman is a Senior Product Manager at Relias supporting post‑acute care organizations across skilled nursing, assisted living, home health, home care, and hospice. He partners closely with providers to understand their real‑world challenges and translate those insights into practical learning content and intuitive software solutions.
Melissa C. Gordon, RN, BSN, MBA

Director, Operations Consulting | SimiTree

Melissa C. Gordon, RN, BSN, MBA, is a results-driven leader with extensive expertise in the home health, hospice, and private duty sectors. She excels at balancing exceptional patient care with organizational and financial efficiencies, consistently driving organizations to refine operational and growth strategies, resulting in improved patient outcomes and increased agency profitability. Gordon's experience spans C-suite leadership, administration, quality, business development, and intake for both for-profit and non-profit agencies. In her current consulting role, she partners with clients on a range of engagements, including industry-specific training, M&A integrations, process re-engineering and workflow re-design, and other strategic initiatives — successfully leading both small-scale efforts and large complex projects.Gordon holds an MBA from The University of New Haven, a BS from Southern New Hampshire University, a BSN from Chamberlain College of Nursing, and is a graduate of Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing (an affiliate of Yale Health System). She is a recipient of the prestigious Connecticut Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing and holds a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Gordon has been actively involved with the Board and the Quality Committee of the Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home for many years, contributing to policy development, industry advocacy, and the advancement of best practices in the industry.
Claudia Baker, RN, MHA, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H

Director – Technology Consulting | SimiTree

Claudia Baker is an accomplished senior home care consultant with more than 30 years of experience in home-based healthcare services. Her expertise spans compliance, technology, quality improvement, and operational optimization for home health, hospice, and home care organizations.

A respected educator and thought leader, Baker has provided extensive consulting and training across the industry and currently serves on the Education Committee for the Association of Home Care Coding and Compliance. She is also the author of multiple publications related to the OASIS assessment, reflecting her deep subject-matter expertise.

Baker holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration and maintains certifications in diagnosis coding, OASIS, and hospice specialty coding, further demonstrating her commitment to advancing excellence within home‑based care.