HOPE is on the Horizon for Hospice – Corridor Group

Posted Tuesday, May 18, 2021

A standardized assessment for Hospice has been in discussion and development for quite some time and now is finally in the beta-testing.   HOPE is the acronym for the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation.   HOPE was finalized in the Fiscal Year 2020 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements Final Rule.  This rule can be reviewed in the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/06/2019-16583/medicare-program-fy-2020-hospice-wage-index-and-payment-rate-update-and-hospice-quality-reporting

The HOPE standardized assessment tool is intended to provide hospices a better and clearer understanding of their patient’s needs as it relates to their care throughout the dying process.  The difference between the HOPE tool and current Hospice Item Set or HIS, is HOPE is based on real-time interactions with the patient as opposed to retrospective chart review.  Like HIS, HOPE will support ongoing quality improvement activities and provide data on outcomes and other quality measures.

This standardized tool will be used by all Medicare certified hospices allowing CMS to analyze the data and identify trends and patterns in the care provided across all hospices.   Hospice’s will have visibility to the data and the ability to utilize the summaries and comparisons for identified opportunities in their own organization.  In addition, patients and their families will be more informed on the hospice quality and outcomes of their hospice of choice.

Currently, there is a call for beta-testers for the draft HOPE assessment.  For hospices that are interested, CMS has detailed information regarding the evaluation and application process at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Hospice-Quality-Reporting/Hospice-QRP-Provider-Engagement-Opportunities

Source: CMS

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