Believe it or not, the Fiscal Year 2022 for hospice begins in just over a month—on October 1st. Among the changes finalized by CMS is a new item to be publicly reported no sooner than May 2022. The Hospice Care Index (HCI), in effect, replaces the seven HIS items that will be removed from public…
Believe it or not, the Fiscal Year 2022 for hospice begins in just over a month—on October 1st. Among the changes finalized by CMS is a new item to be publicly reported no sooner than May 2022. The Hospice Care Index (HCI), in effect, replaces the seven HIS items that will be removed from public reporting. Hospices will continue to report these HIS items to CMS—they just won’t be reported in Care Compare. CMS feels the HCI will provide greater transparency for consumers in the area of quality and compliance to the Conditions of Participation. Ten items will comprise a single score with the highest possible score being 10. All data elements are gathered from claims data—the hospice’s and Medicare inpatient claims—during the reporting period. The items cover a wide spectrum of quality issues involving care provided at different levels, discharges, length of stay, and end-of-life care. Each hospice should assess current compliance with the items and strategize for indicated improvements.
