Category: Hospice Final Rule
Guidance for HOPE Tool Access for Transmissions
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: August 13, 2025Today, we’ll be addressing updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. A newly released 5-part video series is now available to support training on the HOPE tool. The first of the five-part series offers an introduction and general overview of HOPE.
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2026 Hospice Final Rule Released
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: August 5, 2025The 2026 Hospice Final Payment and Regulatory Update Rule was published on August 1 and aligns closely with what was outlined in the proposed version, confirming anticipated provisions and updates.
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Understanding Updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 15, 2025Today, we’ll be addressing updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. A newly released 5-part video series is now available to support training on the HOPE tool. The first of the five-part series offers an introduction and general overview of HOPE.
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Hospice Trends to Watch: What CMS Monitoring Data Reveals
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: June 23, 2025A recent report on Hospice Monitoring by CMS presented statistics that provide a clear view of current trends and may highlight key areas for evaluation within your organization. The data is compelling and serves as a valuable resource for understanding how hospice agencies are performing across various metrics.
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Preparing for HOPE: Key Updates to Guidance Manual Ahead of the October 1 Implementation
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: May 19, 2025In the last week of April, a new version of the Guidance Manual for completing the HOPE tool was released, along with an updated version of the HOPE itself. That manual includes several updates, a few of which I’ll be sharing with you today.
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Reviewing Updated Information on the CAHPS Hospice Survey
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: March 17, 2025In a previous Monday Minute, we reviewed significant changes to the CAHPS Hospice Survey. In that Minute, we mentioned that we would be sharing additional details as we got closer to the implementation phase. Today, we are providing the latest updates on the survey.
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Reviewing Significant Changes to the CAHPS Hospice Survey Set to Take Effect on April 1
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: February 25, 2025Major updates to the CAHPS Hospice survey, which were outlined in the Hospice Final Rule released August 2024, will take effect April 1, 2025. Related documents for the CAHPS survey changes are dated online January 2025. It’s essential to confirm that your CAHPS vendor is ready to implement the new processes and forms by April 1.
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Self-Reporting your Hospice Aggregate Cap: Reviewing the Details
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: February 3, 2025We have approached the time of the year to address the self-reporting of your Hospice aggregate CAP. For this year, the aggregate CAP must be submitted by February 28, 2025, and will cover the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2024.
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2024 Hospice Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2025
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: December 30, 2024As we close out 2024, Hospice has had a roller coaster ride for sure during this year and that will continue into 2025.
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Selections for Hospice Special Focus Program to Take Place in November
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: October 21, 2024The Hospice Special Focus Program, which was finalized about a year ago, will select the list of participating hospices taking place in the program in November of 2024. During the selection process, from the group identified as the bottom 10% of performers—those with the highest scores, which indicate poorer performance—a list will be published on the Special Focus Program website.
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Reviewing Important HOPE Tool Information in the 2025 Hospice Final Rule
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 10, 2024The Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation Tool, or HOPE Tool, is a clinical assessment tool that will completely replace the HIS, and will be mandatory for all patients, regardless of their payer or age. The HOPE Tool has been in development for quite some time and, although it was finalized in the 2025 rule, it won’t officially take effect until October 1, 2025.
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