Dear Members,
As many of you know, CMS recently issued a
proposed rule changing hospice payment rates and quality reporting requirements,
CMS‑1714‑P. This rule is summarized in a CMS Fact Sheet for provider convenience. CMS states that they believe the proposed rule "demonstrates continued commitment to strengthening Medicare by better aligning the hospice payment rates with the costs of providing care and increasing transparency so patients can make more informed choices."
Please note the following significant changes proposed in this rule:
- updates the Medicare hospice wage index, payment rates, and cap amount for fiscal year (FY) 2020.
- rebases the continuous home care, general inpatient care, and the inpatient respite care per diem payment rates in a budget-neutral manner "to more accurately align Medicare payments with the costs of providing care".
- uses the current year’s hospital wage index data to establish the hospice wage index.
- modifies the election statement content requirements to include additional information to increase coverage transparency for patients under a hospice election.
Under this rule, hospices would see an estimated 2.7 percent ($540 million) increase in Medicare payments for FY 2020. Finally, this rule proposes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule until 5:00 pm June 18, 2019. You may send your comments individually, or have them included as part of our association's comments on the rule. If you would like us to include your comments with TAHC&H's, please submit them to us at regulatoryaffairs@tahch.org no later than 12:00 pm on Monday, June 17, 2019.