Eli's Hospice Insider

Medicare’s claims processing and benefit policy manuals have caught up to current hospice billing with a new update.

CR 12026 “makes updates to the [Medicare Claims Processing Manual] language regarding submitting Notice of Termination/ Revocation, Processing Professional Claims for Hospice Beneficiaries, and … Data Required on the Institutional Claims,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in the transmittal at www.cms.gov/files/document/r10453cp.pdf.

Take note: “In order for the NOTR to be accepted into the system, an election period must be established,” CMS says in the CR. “If the notice of election, which creates the hospice election period is not submitted and posted before the NOTR, the NOTR will be rejected.”

Additionally, the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual now reflects the addition of the new hospice election statement requirements that took effect Oct. 1 — including a whole new section on the election statement addendum. See the additions and changes in Nov. 6 CR 12015 at www.cms.gov/files/document/r10437bp.pdf.