2024 FINAL RULES HOSPICE
An Analysis and Commentary on Federal Health Care Issues by Larry Goldberg
CMS Posts Final FY 2024 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued its final rule updating the hospice payment rates, wage index and aggregate cap amount for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
The rule also discusses updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) and the further development of the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool with national beta test analyses; and discusses updates on Health Equity and future quality measures (QMs). It also provides updates on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare
Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Hospice Survey Mode Experiment.
In addition, the rule finalizes provider enrollment requirements for certifying physicians for hospice services, and also finalizes text changes to regulations that align with the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
A copy of the 101-page rule is at: https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2023-16116.pdf. Publication is scheduled for August 2, and, of course, this link will change upon publication.