Thank you for participating in the Optum™ Patient Assessment Form (PAF) and Healthcare Quality Patient Assessment Form (HQPAF) program in 2014. The goal of the PAF/HQPAF program is to help ensure that your Medicare Advantage (MA) patients receive a complete and comprehensive health assessment at least once per year. During this assessment all applicable screenings should be ordered or reviewed and all conditions, both acute and chronic, should be evaluated and documented in the patient’s chart and coded to the highest level of specificity.
Wrapping up the 2014 program
Because this program is designed to be administered on a calendar year basis, we ask that you complete and submit any outstanding 2014 HQPAFs to Optum for processing as soon as possible.
Refreshed HQPAFs for the 2015 project year will be available to you by the end of February 2015 and should accurately reflect the changes that occurred during Medicare’s open enrollment period. Your Healthcare Advocate will be checking in with you to determine the best deployment method for getting these refreshed HQPAFs to you.
Deploying your 2015 HQPAFs
We have several deployment methods available including two electronic options; OptumPAF™ and Optum InSite™. In addition, we have implemented a new electronic submission method for your completed HQPAFs through a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) site. These electronic methods provide ease of submission rather than through traditional fax or mail. Contact your Healthcare Advocate should you need more information on deployment and submission methods.
Please remember: Your new HQPAFs will have a look back period of 60 days. This way, you can capture patient visits that occurred in January and February, prior to the receipt of your refreshed PAFs/HQPAFs. There is no need to wait for your 2015 HQPAFs to be distributed in order to see these patients.
HQPAF enhancements for 2015
New enhancements have been added to the “Early Detection” section of the HQPAF that include screening for risk of falls, urinary incontinence and physical activity. The glaucoma screening has been removed.
Your annual participation in this program will assist your practice in achieving quality measures and improving health outcomes for your Medicare Advantage patients. With the changes to the 2015 HQPAF program, consider adding alerts to your annual physical exam template to assure documentation within the progress note. We appreciate your practice’s efforts and coordination in ensuring all patients have at least one face-to-face visit each and every year.
Additional tools and resources are available. Please contact your Optum Healthcare Advocate for more information.
If you have any questions about the PAF or HQPAF program, please contact your local Optum Healthcare Advocate or the Optum Provider Support Center between 6:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. PST, Monday - Friday, at 1-877-751-9207 or email us here.
Thank you again for your participation in the Optum Patient Assessment Form (PAF) and the Healthcare Quality Patient Assessment Form (HQPAF) programs.
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