Home Health & Hospice Week

If you’d like to influence the development of the hospice patient assessment tool, now’s your chance.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “is currently recruiting experienced hospice providers and clinicians to participate in focus groups to discuss and provide input as we develop a hospice patient assessment tool,” the agency says in a message to providers. “All interested partic­ipants will be considered based on their hospice role, knowledge, and experience with the Hospice Quality Reporting Program or completing patient assessments. Selection will take into account hospice type and location to ensure a nationally balanced representation of diverse hospices.”

Contractor Abt Associates will conduct eight virtual focus groups in August and September, according to CMS’s website. The deadline for application is Aug. 26, although half of the focus groups are scheduled to occur before that date. The application is available via a link at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/TEP-Currently-Accepting-Nominations.html.