Tag: Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation

CMS Open Door Forum Updates for Home Health, Hospice

Read on for NAHC’s exclusive analysis of the latest Open Door Forum from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. HOME HEALTH Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) April 1, 2023, begins the new data collection period for the HHCAHPs. The period runs…

CMS Provides HQRP Updates During September Forum

On September 28, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a Forum on the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) which, for the most part, provided a review of information published in the FY2023 Hospice Final Rule and recent public reporting activity. Of note were comments regarding status of the Hospice Outcomes &…

CMS Provides HQRP Updates During September Forum

On September 28, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a Forum on the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) which, for the most part, provided a review of information published in the FY2023 Hospice Final Rule and recent public reporting activity.

Of note were comments regarding status of the Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool.  CMS continues to seek hospice providers to participate in Beta testing of the HOPE tool, and a detailed recruitment announcement is available on CMS’s Hospice QRP Provider and Stakeholder Engagement webpage. Those interested in participating should email HOPETesting@abtassoc.com.

Beta testing is expected to continue into spring 2023, after which CMS and Abt (the HOPE tool contractor) must conduct in-depth analysis of the testing. Following conclusion of this analysis and any modifications that the HOPE tool might undergo as a result, the HOPE tool must go through rulemaking so that public stakeholders have an opportunity to comment on the tool and CMS’ plans for implementation.

Given the time frame for the work that remains to finalize the tool, it is unclear whether CMS will propose the tool as part of the FY2024 proposed hospice payment rule or whether public consideration would be delayed until the next rulemaking cycle (applicable to FY2025).

A recording of the September Forum will be posted in the near future and will be announced in NAHC Report.

ATTENTION Hospices! Opportunity Available to be part of the HOPE Beta Testing

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training is completed and is expected to continue through fall 2022.

CMS is specifically seeking hospice providers with sufficient registered nurse, social worker, and chaplain staffing to conduct at least 1 – 2 joint visits per week. For joint visits, two registered nurses visit one patient at the same time to complete the HOPE nurse assessment. Two social workers visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE social work assessment, and two chaplains visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE chaplain assessment. One of the two registered nurses, social workers and chaplains may attend their joint visit via video call, such as Zoom. HOPE assessments are completed at hospice admission, for symptom reassessment and at live discharge. Hospices currently participating in the beta test may be finding this difficult amidst the workforce shortage causing CMS to recruit more hospices.

CMS is still aiming for completion of the beta testing in early fall of this year.  Should this occur, there may be time for CMS to analyze the results of the testing and formulate a proposal for use of the HOPE by all hospices in the FY2024 proposed rule.  This proposed rule would be posted in Spring 2023 for public review.

Joint visits are typical in beta testing standardized assessment instruments such as the HOPE for inter-rater reliability, but it is not expected that joint visits will be required when a HOPE tool is implemented in hospice.

Recruitment will continue until CMS reaches the desired number of participants (number not specified). Those interested in participating should email HOPETesting@abtassoc.com.

ATTENTION Hospices! Opportunity Available to be part of the HOPE Beta Testing

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training is completed and is expected to continue through fall 2022.

CMS is specifically seeking hospice providers with sufficient registered nurse, social worker, and chaplain staffing to conduct at least 1 – 2 joint visits per week. For joint visits, two registered nurses visit one patient at the same time to complete the HOPE nurse assessment. Two social workers visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE social work assessment, and two chaplains visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE chaplain assessment. One of the two registered nurses, social workers and chaplains may attend their joint visit via video call, such as Zoom. HOPE assessments are completed at hospice admission, for symptom reassessment and at live discharge. Hospices currently participating in the beta test may be finding this difficult amidst the workforce shortage causing CMS to recruit more hospices.

CMS is still aiming for completion of the beta testing in early fall of this year.  Should this occur, there may be time for CMS to analyze the results of the testing and formulate a proposal for use of the HOPE by all hospices in the FY2024 proposed rule.  This proposed rule would be posted in Spring 2023 for public review.

Joint visits are typical in beta testing standardized assessment instruments such as the HOPE for inter-rater reliability, but it is not expected that joint visits will be required when a HOPE tool is implemented in hospice.

Recruitment will continue until CMS reaches the desired number of participants (number not specified). Those interested in participating should email HOPETesting@abtassoc.com.

ATTENTION Hospices! Opportunity Available to be part of the HOPE Beta Testing

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training is…

ATTENTION Hospices! Opportunity Available to be part of the HOPE Beta Testing

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training is completed and is expected to continue through fall 2022.

CMS is specifically seeking hospice providers with sufficient registered nurse, social worker, and chaplain staffing to conduct at least 1 – 2 joint visits per week. For joint visits, two registered nurses visit one patient at the same time to complete the HOPE nurse assessment. Two social workers visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE social work assessment, and two chaplains visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE chaplain assessment. One of the two registered nurses, social workers and chaplains may attend their joint visit via video call, such as Zoom. HOPE assessments are completed at hospice admission, for symptom reassessment and at live discharge. Hospices currently participating in the beta test may be finding this difficult amidst the workforce shortage causing CMS to recruit more hospices.

CMS is still aiming for completion of the beta testing in early fall of this year.  Should this occur, there may be time for CMS to analyze the results of the testing and formulate a proposal for use of the HOPE by all hospices in the FY2024 proposed rule.  This proposed rule would be posted in Spring 2023 for public review.

Joint visits are typical in beta testing standardized assessment instruments such as the HOPE for inter-rater reliability, but it is not expected that joint visits will be required when a HOPE tool is implemented in hospice.

Recruitment will continue until CMS reaches the desired number of participants (number not specified). Those interested in participating should email HOPETesting@abtassoc.com.

ATTENTION Hospices! Opportunity Available to be part of the HOPE Beta Testing

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training…

ATTENTION Hospices! CMS Recruiting Additional Hospices for HOPE Beta Testing

As hospices should already be aware, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Abt Associates are currently beta testing a draft standardized hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE).  Additional hospice providers are needed to complete the testing.

Hospices must be Medicare-certified and training for this round of hospices is anticipated to occur mid-July 2022 with data collection slated to begin in August 2022 and continue through early fall 2022.

CMS is specifically seeking hospice providers with sufficient registered nurse, social worker, and chaplain staffing to conduct at least 1 – 2 joint visits per week. Hospices currently participating in the beta test may be finding this difficult amidst the workforce shortage causing CMS to recruit more hospices.

It appears that CMS is still aiming for completion of the beta testing in early fall of this year.  Should this occur, there may be time for CMS to analyze the results of the testing and formulate a proposal for use of the HOPE by all hospices in the FY2024 proposed rule.  This proposed rule would be posted in Spring 2023 for public review.

Joint visits are typical in beta testing standardized assessment instruments such as the HOPE for inter-rater reliability, but it is not expected that joint visits will be required when a HOPE tool is implemented in hospice. CMS includes the following additional information about the 1-2 joint visits per week that would occur as part of the HOPE testing:  For joint visits, two registered nurses visit one patient at the same time to complete the HOPE nurse assessment. Two social workers visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE social work assessment, and two chaplains visit the patient at the same time to complete the HOPE chaplain assessment. One of the two registered nurses, social workers and chaplains may attend their joint visit via video call, such as Zoom. HOPE assessments are completed at hospice admission, for symptom reassessment and at live discharge.

Recruitment will continue until CMS reaches the desired number of participants (number not specified). Those interested in participating should email HOPETesting@abtassoc.com by June 30, 2022.

ATTENTION Hospices! CMS Recruiting Additional Hospices for HOPE Beta Testing

As hospices should already be aware, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Abt Associates are currently beta testing a draft standardized hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE).  Additional hospice providers are needed to complete the testing. Hospices must be Medicare-certified and training for this round of hospices…