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Look out! Here's more information from CMS to ensure your hospice agency is on the straight and narrow for quality reporting, with associated updates and potential penalties. The latest Hospice Outreach Email from CMS also highlights education opportunities that are there for the taking – FREE!Here's a link to the content in pdf format.Cheers! And be well.Beth

The pandemic affected nearly everything in hospice. But the latest update (May 26) to Medicare Compare's Hospice page (formerly Hospice Compare) is all pre-pandemic. The most recent information in the update period ends December 31, 2019. Remember how innocent we all were back then? Before forced isolation and PPE shortages? Scroll down to find the hospice link to compare hospice agencies. Once you're there, the functionality will feel more familiar. Oh, and notice the link to a list of HOSPICES THAT SUCCESSFULLY MET QRP REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR FY 2020 APU. The formatting is all new as well.   Check out how your hospice agency compares to others in...

Have you been denied payment for Skilled Nursing Maintenance care in Home Health? The Medicare Advisory Council wants to hear about your experience. See the details below. Your voice matters! Virtual Jimmo Council Session 3 June 16, 20212:00-3:15 EDT Greetings: We are writing to you as members of the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s Jimmo Implementation Council or stakeholders in removing barriers to skilled care for people with longer-term, chronic, and debilitating conditions. As you know, the Jimmo Council is a multi-disciplinary community committed to implementing the Jimmo v. Sebelius Settlement Agreement. The Jimmo Settlement confirmed that Medicare coverage of skilled nursing and therapy services in home health, skilled nursing facility,...

Are you ready for some changes in the hospice quality reporting program? Ready or not, the FY 2022 Hospice Proposed Rule addresses just that, along with a lot of other stuff that's important for hospice providers. There's even something in it for home health. And CMS is seeking your comment for myriad topics. Now is the time to be heard. Attached is the summary of the proposed rule by the National Association of Home Health and Hospice (NAHC). Please take the time to comment by June 7, 2021. Remember, you are the expert as a hospice provider. CMS needs your input. Click...

You may be wondering, like so many others, when V3.00 of the HIS manual and new discharge HIS become final. And once section O's removal from the discharge HIS is final and the publicly reported Hospice Visits when Death is Imminent (HVWDII) measure pair is replaced by the claims-based Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life (HVLDL), do hospice agencies still have to file the discharge HIS? Furthermore, what's the status of the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) and the new, future Hospice Care Index (HCI) you may (or may not) have heard about? I must admit, I was having a...