Hospice
Reminder: Annual DDE/PPTN Recertification Is Due
July 8, 2024Have you recertified your FISS DDE User ID yet? CGS is requiring home health and hospice providers to recertify their Fiscal Intermediary Standard System (FISS) Direct Data Entry (DDE) now….
On June 13, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced a discussion draft of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act), focusing on hospice payment reform and program…
CMS Releases New HQRP Quarterly Update
July 1, 2024The latest quarterly Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Update has been released via email, featuring crucial annual payment reminders and details on the FY 2025 reconsideration period. CMS has also…
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a virtual conference on August 7 and 8 from 12 – 4 p.m. for anyone who processes Medicare Part A…
CMS Revises Hospice Certifying Physician Enrollment Requirement Implementation Guidance
June 10, 2024On June 6, 2024, in response to concerns raised by the provider community, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) retracted its guidance indicating that any individual who elects…
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…
Medicare Provider Compliance Tips
June 3, 2024Looking for information on The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Provider Compliance Tips program? Plus, the new CMS tool provides high level guidance on how to prevent claim denials…
PHA Comments: CMS-1810-P Proposed Rule on FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update
June 3, 2024PHA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the recently proposed rule by CMS, titled “Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update,…
New Edition: HQRP Quarterly Q&As Now Available
June 3, 2024The HQRP Quarterly Q&A for Q1 2024 is now available. This Q&A includes selected questions received by the Hospice Quality Help Desk during the first quarter of 2024 (January 1…
CMS Open Door Forum
June 3, 2024CMS held a Home Health, Hospice, and DME Open Door Forum (ODF) on Wednesday, May 22 to provide updates on the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. Members are encouraged to sign…
On May 3, 2024, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the following revisions to the State Operations Manual (SOM): These revisions are effective immediately; however, state survey agency…
House Labor and Industry Committee Holds Informational Hearing on the Nursing Workforce Crisis
May 13, 2024An informational hearing conducted by the House Labor and Industry Committee on the Nursing Workforce Crisis delved into the pressing challenges faced by the nursing workforce in Pennsylvania. Here are…
GAO Releases Medicare Hospice Report Recommending CMS to Implement Statutory Provisions and Prioritize Certain Overdue Surveys
May 13, 2024On May 8, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its anticipated report, Medicare Hospice: CMS Needs to Fully Implement Statutory Provisions and Prioritize Certain Overdue Surveys. This report found that CMS…
Important Change: The May 1 go-live date for the Medicare hospice certifying physician enrollment requirement is delayed until June 3. The hospice physician enrollment requirement was originally set to begin on…
REMINDER: The Medicare Credit Balance Report for the quarter ending March 31 is due by April 30, 2024. CGS Administrators, LLC (CGS) will suspend all claim payments at 100% if a completed…
There is a new location for accessing the Patient Assessment Change Request Forms effective immediately. The Change Request Forms for MDS, OASIS, IRF, LTCH, and Hospice can be found at…
Beginning May 1, 2024, physicians must be enrolled in or validly opted out of Medicare to certify a patient’s terminal illness under the Medicare hospice benefit. CMS has indicated hospices…
Hospice Item Set (HIS) Manual V3.02 Now Available
April 22, 2024An updated HIS Manual V3.02 is now available. The updates include an extension of the documents expiration date and several minor edits and date corrections. Updated documents include the HIS…
As reported in last week’s Connections, the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements proposed rule has been…
With the April 15 tax deadline approaching, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reminds taxpayers there is still time to file their federal income tax return electronically and request direct deposit….
How to Apply for VA Benefits
April 1, 2024PHA frequently hears from members who are supporting veterans who aren’t aware of the benefits they may be eligible for. You can support your patients and their spouses to access…
CMS Proposes 2.6% Pay Raise for Hospices in 2025
April 1, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have proposed a 2.6% pay raise for hospices in the fiscal year 2025. This increase amounts to $705 million compared to FY…
In a post-acute care outreach email, CMS included that a new page has been added to help hospice providers with correcting demographic data. The page, “How to Update Hospice Demographic Data,”…
There will be a temporary pause in distributing CBRs and PEPPERs as CMS works to improve and update the program and reporting system, effective through the fall of 2024. For…
Aimed at bolstering support for caregivers of veterans, both the VA Caregiver Support Program (CSP) and Building Better Caregivers ®(BBC) have announced meaningful updates. These initiatives underscore the commitment to enhancing support networks and…
CMS Issued Revised Hospice Model Statement
March 18, 2024The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an updated Hospice Model Election Statement, dated March 2024. Hospices utilizing the CMS Model Election Statement or incorporating its language into…
Last month, the CMS MLN Connects newsletter clarified “that hospice and skilled nursing facility medical directors and administrators are always considered managing employees for Medicare provider enrollment purposes. You must report all current…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its enrollment FAQs for marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors. This update includes new resources and provides clarification on supervision…
On Friday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its March 2024 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. As part of its annual report, MedPAC included the following home health and hospice recommendations: As a…
March is Fraud Prevention Month
March 18, 2024March is Fraud Prevention Month. Join PHA in recognizing the importance of combating fraud, waste, and abuse. We’ve compiled a list of tools and resources to assist you in staying…
On March 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Change Request (CR) 13449 to establish and implement a new “stay of enrollment” status for Medicare-enrolled providers in an effort to…
Hospices now have access to additional resources in the Provider Toolkit on the HQRP Requirements and Best Practices page, including three recently added guides: Additionally, CMS has added the Quarterly Q&A…
Last week, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced the discontinuation of the Hospice Benefit Component in the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model, effective December 31, 2024. This decision comes…
CMS Updates Manuals to Include Marriage and Family Therapists, Mental Health Counselors
March 11, 2024The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its manuals to reflect Medicare coverage and payment for marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and mental health counselors (MHCs) effective…
Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Door Forums (ODFs) switched from phone to webinars and now include an online registration process. Last week, CMS shared the…
Senate Bill 1080 sponsored by Sen. Lynda Culver (R- Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, and Snyder) and championed by PHA, was introduced on February 23. Senate Bill 1080 aims to allow Licensed…
February 2024 Refresh Now Live on Hospice Care Compare
February 26, 2024The February 2024 quarterly refresh for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. Publicly reported hospice quality data, including the Hospice Item Set, CAHPS Survey Family Caregiver…
MLN Matters: Hospices Required to Report All Managing Employees
February 26, 2024The Centers 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…
Hospice Preview Reports for the May 2024 Refresh Now Available
February 19, 2024Providers 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…
Notice: Hospice Item Set Manual Update
February 19, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicate Services has updated the Hospice Item Set (HIS) Manual to remove COVID-19 public health emergency references, revise the Annual Payment Update (APU) penalty to reflect the…
CMS Fact Sheet: Hospice Comprehensive Assessment Measure
February 19, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently shared a Fact Sheet for the Hospice Comprehensive Assessment Quality Measure. The document provides clarification on the measure and guidance on how to calculate…
2021 Data Now Available for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook
February 5, 2024CMS has added the annual update to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook with data for 2021. The MCBS Chartbook provides the public with an interactive collection of charts and tables…
CGS: Avoid CERT No Documentation Errors
February 5, 2024CGS has identified an increase in the number of Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) reviews that receive No Documentation errors. The CERT Review Contractor assigns the No Documentation error category…
PEPPER Distribution Paused
January 29, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a temporary pause in the distribution of the PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report) and CBRs (Comparative Billing Reports)…
In case you missed the announcement, hospices can now take advantage of the Home Care Grant programs! The latest grant expansions, which went into effect on January 1, include the…
Hospice Updates from January Open Door Forum
January 29, 2024Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) held an Open Door Forum (ODF) for home health, hospice, and durable medical equipment providers. A summary of the…
MedPAC Votes on 2024 Recommendations to Congress
January 22, 2024On January 11, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) unanimously voted to recommend cutting the home health base payment rate by seven percent in CY2025 and freezing the hospice update…
Home Health & Hospices: Medicare Credit Balance Reports Due
January 22, 2024As a reminder, the Medicare Credit Balance Report for the quarter ending December 31 is due by January 30, 2024. CGS will suspend all claim payments at 100% if a completed CMS-838…
Hospice Self-Determined Aggregate Cap Reminder
January 22, 2024As a reminder, hospices are required to self-calculate and submit their Aggregate Cap Report no later than February 28, 2024. More information, including forms and instructions on where to submit your…
Reminder: Don’t Let Your Agency Credentials Expire!
January 15, 2024Don’t let license and credential expirations put a damper on your 2024 business plans! Take a moment this week to add a calendar reminder OR double check an existing calendar…