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 [...]