Good evening Hospice Community,
The FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements Final Rule has been released. The CMS fact sheet has also been posted. Below is the final rule summary provided in the Federal Register. The Alliance will also share a summary this evening.
FR Summary:
This final rule updates the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for fiscal year 2027. This final rule also includes an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending, including details regarding a hospice service and spending variation index, and finalizes the requirement that hospices provide the hospice election statement addendum to all Medicare beneficiaries at the time of hospice election. Additionally, this rule finalizes conforming changes to discharge from hospice care regulations and changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations. This final rule also includes a summary of comments received on our requests for information regarding community-based palliative care; the construction of a hospice specific wage index; and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying laws. Finally, this rule finalizes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
Best,
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Betta Deblasio
Analyst, Policy & Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance for Care at Home
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