Hospice became a Medicare benefit in 1983. The current payment system is based on a demonstration project that HCFA conducted from 1980 to 1982 of 26 not-for-profit hospices. The Affordable Care Act made way for reform of the system after 10-1-2013. CMS continues to add reporting on claims (CR8358) and finalized major reform to the cost reporting forms. In the 2019 Proposed rule for hospice, CMS is proposing to rebase the CHC, GIP and IRC rates in budget neutral manner, which will result in a reduction in the RHC rate. This training is designed to get you up-to-date, provide best practice guidance, and prepare all providers to thrive in the Changing Landscape of Hospice:

This is an “Ounce of Prevention” that is needed by all organizations. Please join SMART Healthcare Compliance Resources, LLC presenter Lista L. Clark, BSN, RN, Senior Hospice Clinical Consultant for this timely and informative training session, including recent regulatory updates.

Over the past 5 years, greater scrutiny of the hospice program by the OIG has resulted in multiple investigative audits of hospices nationwide, identifying improper payments, ineligible admissions and recertifications, and very concerning trends of poor quality of care practices and noncompliance with the CoPs.

Make no mistake about it, the Hospice honeymoon period has come and gone regarding the trust level that CMS has in our provision and documentation of hospice services. At SMART HCR, we continue to assist many hospices dealing with harsh survey deficiencies, TPE and medical review audits that are costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of time through the appeals process