Home health providers are getting one of their biggest wishes granted.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday that it is expanding the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. First implemented in 2016, the HHVBP Model is currently active in just nine states: Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar has already signed off on an expansion, the department noted. Friday’s announcement did not specify the extent of the expansion, but clarified that HHS would execute the implementation through rulemaking no earlier than Jan. 1, 2022.

“The CMS Office of the Actuary has certified, based on its independent assessment of the model’s performance over the first three years of the Model, that an expansion would reduce, or not result in any increase in, net Medicare spending,” the announcement stated.

This is a developing story. Please check back later for additional updates.