On April 8, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the Medicare Program: FY 2022 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, Hospice and Home Health Quality Reporting Program Requirements proposed rule (find the FY 2022 proposed rule on the Federal Register).
The proposals for fiscal year 2022 include the following:
• Proposed rate increase of 2.3%. Rates for each level of care are available below.
• Changing the regulation text to clarify several issues related to the furnishing of the hospice election statement addendum and obtaining patient/representative signatures.
• Making permanent certain temporary waivers to the Conditions of Participation related to hospice aides.
• Inclusion of a new claims-based Hospice Care Index (HCI) measure as part of the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP).
• Removal of the seven Hospice Item Set (HIS) measures from public reporting.
• Updates on the HOPE tool and future quality measures.
• Addition of a CAHPS Hospice Survey star rating.
• A Solicitation of Comments to assist in transformation of CMS’ quality measurement enterprise to be fully digital.
• A RFI on closing the health equity gap in post-acute care quality reporting programs.
• A Solicitation of Public Comment on whether activities related to measures adopted as the result of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act should be expanded for potential utilization under the HQRP (like aspects of SPADES).
Comments are due no later than June 7, 2021, with file code: CMS-1754-P.
NHPCO members will find a comprehensive Regulatory Alert on the Alerts & Updates page of the NHPCO website.
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