How to Survive the CMS Hospice Special Focus Program in 2024

In 2024 CMS increased direct oversight of hospice organizations. CMS has created a series of methodologies to identify hospices as poor performers, based on defined quality indicators used to ensure that they meet Medicare requirements. CMS means business, and organizations should expect additional pressure and burden to comply.

To identify poor performers, CMS is using several indicators in three distinct data categories including hospice surveys and data from the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP):

• Hospice Care Index (HCI) - the claims-based measure that captures multiple aspects of care delivery across ten indicators
• CAHPS - 4 specific measures including: help for pain and symptoms, getting timely help, willingness to recommend the hospice, and overall rating of the hospice.
  

• Hospice Surveys - particularly the 11 COPs that are based on observable quality concerns seen and reported by hospice surveyors

So, what can you do?

To survive the Hospice Special Focus Program, you need to: 

• Know your HCI score
• Focus on increasing patient satisfaction and decreasing complaints
• Document, document, document
• Beef up your IDT/IDG case conferences
• Close documentation gaps through performance improvement projects

Click here to download a reference guide that lays out in more detail the Hospice Special Focus Program as well as changes in CMS survey processes and CMS emphasis on home health quality.  The guide includes the operational and quality measures required to thrive in 2024.

This guide provides key updates and lays out strategies your organization can implement to do to be successful with:

• New CMS survey Process
• Impact of the OIG report on Home Health Falls
• CMS Hospice Special Focus Program

To learn more about how QAPIplus can help your hospice organization survive the Special Focus Program, request a demo today.

Read more blogs on survey readiness, quality and compliance