Posted December 9, 2022
By: Liza Berger, McKnights Home Care
Plans are moving forward to implement a Special Focus Program (SFP) for hospices, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said this week during a special Home Health, Hospice and DME Open Door Forum.
A Technical Expert Panel that convened in the fall included a discussion of an SFP algorithm and methodologies to identify poor-performing hospices, SFP survey frequency, utilization of technical assistance, graduation criteria, termination criteria and public reporting of an SFP, a CMS representative said during the call Wednesday.
Stakeholder listening sessions are now being held to provide an update on the topics discussed with the TEP, he noted. The listening sessions include hospice survey or federal experts, accrediting organizations, consumer, and caregiver advocates. and industry groups, the representative said.
“We also expect to summarize the TEP and listening sessions in a report that will be made publicly available in 2023,” he said.
Hospice providers were pleased last year when CMS opted not to include an SFP in rule-making but rather initiate a TEP first.
Another CMS representative reminded listeners Wednesday that in fiscal year 2024, hospices will be subject to a 4% reduction in their annual payments if they fail to comply with the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). FY 2024 will use 2022 data. As of January of 2023, HQRP will no longer quarterly update documents. Instead, the representative encouraged providers interested in receiving regular updates to sign up for the quarterly informational emails.
Source: McKnights Home Care
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