Today, CMS released the FY 2026 hospice proposed rule. It may be accessed here: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2025-06317/medicare-program-fiscal-year-2026-hospice-wage-index-and-payment-rate-update-and-hospice-quality. Fact sheet: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/fiscal-year-2026-hospice-wage-index-and-payment-rate-update-proposed-rule-cms-1835-p-fact-sheet. CMS proposes a net payment update of 2.4%.See the Alliance statement in response. Our analysis has published here. The Alliance will be holding webinars on this proposed rule (to be rescheduled from April 10) and the HOPE data collection instrument in the near future. Stay tuned for announcements regarding upcoming educational events on our Alliance events page.
Edit: The rule and wage index tables can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-for-service-providers/hospice/hospice-regulations-and-notices/cms-1810-f. A CMS hospice monitoring report focused on hospice utilization and spending can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/hospice-monitoring-report-2025.pdf.
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***Regulatory/Quality Assistance Disclaimer: Please understand this advice is general advice only and is based on the information provided by the requestor, which may be incomplete. Providers are responsible for ensuring services are provided in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws and should consult with their Medicare contractor or other payer before implementing or changing any billing processes or decisions.
Patrick M. Harrison, JD
Senior Director, Regulatory and Compliance
National Alliance for Care at Home
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