Eli's Hospice Insider

CMS explains HIS rules for transfers, submission problems.

Transfer patients get a double helping of data under the new Hospice Item Set system.

“Since a HIS-Admission and a HIS-Discharge must be completed for each patient admission (not each patient admitted) … both hospices are responsible for completing and submitting a HIS-Admission and a HIS-Discharge for [a transfer] patient,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in its most recent round of questions-and-answers on the data collection tool.

“If a patient transfers hospices, the first hospice agency should complete a HIS-Admission record within 14 days of the admission date and submit the record within 30 days of the submission date,” CMS explains. “The first hospice should also complete a HIS-Discharge record within seven days of the date of discharge and submit the record within 30 days of discharge.

Meanwhile: “The second hospice agency would also collect and submit a HIS-Admission and HIS-Discharge on the patient within the same timeframes,” CMS instructs. See the rest of the 13 HIS Q&As at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Hospice-Quality-Reporting/Downloads/April-2014-Q_A-Document-FINAL.pdf.

Troubleshoot Hospice Item Set Submission Errors

As hospices are getting the hang of Hospice Item Set submission, they are encountering multiple submission errors, CMS says on its website.

Problem: The most common errors hospices are making are 902: Invalid XML (invalid file name extension); 904: Invalid XML (invalid structure or tags too long); 907: Duplicate Record; 3020a: Invalid FAC ID; 3022: Required Items Missing, according to CMS.

Solution: Find more information about the error messages you’re receiving and tips for troubleshooting in Section 5 of the Hospice Submission User’s Guide, CMS advises. It is available online at https://www.qtso.com/download/Guides/hospice/Users_Sec5.pdf.