Hospice Item Set (HIS) Technical Information

About this Page

This HIS Technical Information webpage provides updates and resources related to HIS data submission specifications and other technical information.

For questions related to content posted on this page, please contact the Technical Help Desk at iQIES@cms.hhs.gov.

Updates

December 10, 2020

Hospice Validation Utility Tool (VUT) Effective January 1, 2021

The Hospice Validation Utility Tool (VUT) is a software utility that can be used to validate HIS submission files in XML format. The tool enforces the edits that are mapped to the HIS items, as published in the Hospice Data Submission Specifications. VUT version 1.7.0 adds support for v3.00.0 of the Hospice Data Submission Specifications which was updated to reflect the removal of Section O items. These edits are effective January 01, 2021. The Hospice VUT version 1.7.0 is now available in the Downloads section at the bottom of this webpage.

December 9, 2020

Hospice Abstraction Reporting Tool (HART) v1.7.0 is now available in the Downloads section at the bottom of this webpage. HART is a Java-based software application that provides an option for Hospice facilities to collect and maintain the facility, patient, and Hospice Information Set (HIS) Record information for subsequent submission to the appropriate national data repository. HART is free software provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and is offered in two configuration types, standalone and network client. The standalone configuration is self-contained on one workstation. The network client configuration uses a server to support one or more individual workstations, all accessing one central database. Current users who are unsure which configuration type they are currently using should contact the Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES) Technical Support Office (QTSO) Help Desk for technical assistance prior to installing upgrades to avoid the potential risk of data loss.

HART (version 1.7.0) is now available for download which includes the following enhancements:

• Changes in support of the v3.00.0 Hospice Data Specifications, effective 1/1/2021
• Changes in support of the Hospice Item Set v3.00.0, which has removed the questions in Section O, effective 1/1/2021
• The new Hospice VUT v1.7.0, updated to support v3.00.0 of the Data Specs and Item Set

August 6, 2020

Hospice Data Specs Effective January 1, 2021

An updated version of the Hospice Information Set (HIS) data submission specifications (V3.00.0) is now available. This FINAL version of the specifications will go into effect on January 1, 2021. The primary change for this version is the removal of Section O items. This version of the data specifications consists of the following files:

• Hospice data specs overview (v3.00.0) FINAL 07-01-2020.pdf
• Hospice data dictionary (v3.00.0) FINAL 07-01-2020.zip
• Hospice data specs CSV files (v3.00.0) FINAL 07-01-2020.zip
• Hospice data specs HTML files (v3.00.0) FINAL 07-01-2020.zip
• Hospice data specs PDF files (v3.00.0) FINAL 07-01-2020.zip
• These files are contained in a single ZIP file named “Hospice Data Specs (v3.00.0) FINAL 07-01-2020.zip”, which is available in the Downloads section below.

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