Summary of CMS Open Door Forum: Hospice

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Hospice Provider Enrollment Changes The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials reviewed hospice provider enrollment requirements that revised the definition of managing employee to include hospice administrator and hospice Medical Director.  The announcement generated several questions from hospice providers. CMS officials clarified that an individual that manages the day-to-day operations of the facility […]

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Hospice Quality Reporting Program Update

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Providers can now access the latest Provider Preview Reports via the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) application. Once released in CASPER, providers will have 30 days during which to review their quality measure results. Although the actual “preview period” is 30 days, the reports will continue to be available for another 30 days, or […]

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NAHC Statement on One Year Anniversary of Former President Carter Announcing He Had Entered Hospice Care

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Washington, D.C. – “For the last 50 years in public life, Jimmy Carter has been a powerful moral voice, leading by example,” said William A. Dombi, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). “Over the last year in hospice care, the former president has brought enormous attention to the value that […]

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Hospices: Report All Managing Employees

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The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified that hospice medical directors and administrators are always considered managing employees for Medicare provider enrollment purposes. You must report all current managing employees. If you haven’t reported a medical director or administrator, report them now. See the Medicare Program Integrity Manual: CY 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System […]

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Webinar: Medicare and the Hospice Benefit

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Join the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) and special guest presenters for a discussion of the Medicare hospice benefit, combining the practical – an overview of the Medicare hospice benefit, common beneficiary challenges, and advice on how to choose a hospice – with policy updates, including recent oversight efforts by the Centers for Medicare & […]

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MedPAC Recommends Home Health Payment Rate Cut, Hospice Update Freeze

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The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) unanimously voted Thursday, January 11, 2024, to recommend cutting the home health base payment rate by seven percent in CY2025 and freezing the hospice update to 2024 Medicare base payment rates for FY2025. MedPAC, which advises Congress on Medicare payment issues, previously released draft recommendations for these reductions in December 2023. If accepted […]

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CMS Finalizes Rules Governing Use of MFT/MHCs on Hospice IDG and Part D Electronic Prescribing Policies

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On November 2, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized rules related to CY2024 Payments to Physicians under Medicare. The rule contains several provisions of potential impact to members of the home health and hospice community, including: The final physician payment rule also contains provider enrollment and other changes that will be […]

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Advocate for Critical Hospice & Palliative Care Workforce Supports During Tomorrow’s PCHETA Virtual Day of Action

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To kick off National Hospice and Palliative Care Awareness Month, you are invited to participate in an online advocacy day to seek additional cosponsors for their support of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA), S. 2243. On Wednesday, November 1st, NAHC, along with many other serious illness stakeholder organizations, are asking […]

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Congressional Briefing Demonstrates the Value of the Medicare Hospice Benefit

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On Thursday, July 27, a panel of healthcare experts presented groundbreaking new research at a Capitol Hill briefing for Congressional offices, showing that patient use of hospice contributed to $3.5 billion in Medicare savings in 2019, while also providing multiple benefits to patients, families, and caregivers. (Watch a video of the briefing here.) The study, […]

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