CMS Issues Changes In Hospice Reimbursement for 2014
Details Hospice Quality Reporting Program
CMS has release a proposed rule to revise and update Medicare hospice payment rates and the wage indexes for fiscal year 2014. The proposed rule would provide hospices with an approximately 1.1 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement during 2014. Per diem rates would increase by approximately 1.8 percent. However, hospices would be subject to a .7 percent reduction resulting from the implementation of the index budget neutrality adjustment to the wage index which is being implemented by CMS over a 7 year window period.
The rule also proposes a change in how CMS will update per diem rates in forthcoming years. Historically CMS has used a Change Request process for this purpose. In the future, per diem rates will be changed through an annual hospice rule.
In addition to payment modifications, the proposed rule outlines the requirements of the Hospice Quality Reporting Program and changes to the requirements of that program that are due to take place in 2016 and 2017.
CMS Fact Sheet on Proposed Hospice Rules Fact Sheet.
CMS-1449-P
