Home Health & Hospice Week

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wants more hospice data, responding to an outcry from industry stakeholders. On Dec. 4, CMS released a proposal on Possible Future Hospice Data Collection, seeking public comments on what kinds of data the agency should collect to better evaluate trends in utilization of the Medicare hospice benefit.

The proposed data collection comes in response to years of requests for more data from the OIG, MedPAC and the Government Accountability Office. Specifically, CMS is considering collecting data on paid hospice chaplain and counselor visits, as well as visit length (in 15-minute increments) on a line-item basis on hospice claims. Line item visit data, including visit length, may also come under scrutiny.

CMS is also considering collecting data on visits by nurses, aides, social workers, therapists, chaplains and counselors on or after the date of the patient’s death. CMS wants to examine claims for durable medical equipment, medical supplies, and prescription and over-the-counter drugs as well.

In conjunction with the proposed data-collection effort, CMS is proposing to revise hospice cost reports. "Hospice cost reports have not been comprehensively updated for years, and yet the industry has undergone changes which affect cost reporting," the agency states. CMS will publish a Federal Register notice on revising the hospice cost reports sometime in the near future.

You can send comments on the proposed hospice data collection by Jan. 31, 2013 to HospiceData@cms.hhs.gov. For more information, go to www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/Hospice/Downloads/Hospice-Data-Collection.pdf.