The hospice payment proposed rule for 2018 includes new duties and burdens for hospices (see Eli’s HCW, Vol. XXVI, No. 17). But it also contains a few proposals to lighten hospices’ loads. For example: “We are proposing for FY 2019 payment determination and subsequent payment determinations to extend the period of time a hospice may have to submit a request for an extension or exception for quality reporting purposes from 30 calendar days to 90 calendar days after the date that the extraordinary circumstances occurred,” CMS says in the proposed rule published in the May 3 Federal Register. Hospices would submit a request via email to the HQRP mailbox at Hospice QRPReconsiderations@cms.hhs.gov.