Home Health & Hospice Week

It’s past Oct. 1, and ghosts and goblins aren’t all that’s scary this month. Your hospice election statements and addendums must comply with drastic new requirements that have taken effect, one HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor CGS reminds hospices.

Such as: Among many elements, your hospice election statement must include “notification of the beneficiary’s (or representative’s) right to request an election statement addendum that includes a written list and a rationale for the conditions, items, drugs, or services that the hospice has determined to be unrelated to the terminal illness and related conditions and that expedited advocacy is available through the Beneficiary Family Centered Care-Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO) review if the beneficiary (or representative) disagrees with the hospice’s determination,” CGS emphasizes on its newly updated Hospice Election Requirements webpage.

See the 10 other requirements CGS lists, plus attending physician change information, at https://cgsmedicare.com/hhh/coverage/coverage_guidelines/election_requirements.html.