Medicare’s language on how much your pay will get docked for failing to submit Hospice Quality Reporting Program data may be confusing. Make sure you understand the new requirements. Old way: “Since fiscal year (FY) 2014, failure for hospices to comply with quality data reporting requirements results in a two-percentage-point reduction to the APU for the corresponding [fiscal year],” CMS explains on its HQRP webpage.
New way: “Starting with FY 2024, the penalty for hospices that do not report quality data to CMS results in a four-percentage-point reduction to the APU,” CMS says. But “the data used for calculation of this update begins January 1, 2022,” not 2024, stresses the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. “Hospices should ensure they are compliant with the Hospice Item Set (HIS) and CAHPS Hospice Survey participation requirements to avoid the penalty,” NAHC urges.