Spotlight
Hospice Monitoring Report
The Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) hospice benefit provides palliative services for pain and symptom management, as well as emotional and spiritual supportive services, to beneficiaries who are terminally ill with a prognosis of six months or less. Within this monitoring report (PDF) we examine who is using the Medicare FFS hospice benefit and how it is being used. Specifically, we focus on hospice utilization from Federal Fiscal Years (FYs) 2019 – 2023.
Hospices: FY 2025 Proposed Rule – Submit Comments by May 28
CMS issued the FY 2025 Hospice Payment Rate Update proposed rule to propose updates for Hospice:
- Wage index and payment rate
- Conditions of participation
- Quality Reporting Program
See a summary of proposed provisions. Comments are due by May 28, 2024; see the proposed rule for details on how to submit them.
Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model: Hospice Benefit Component
As of January 1, 2021, participating Medicare Advantage Organizations can include the Medicare hospice benefit in their Part A benefits package. Visit the Hospice Benefit Component webpage for more information.
Contact Us
For questions about hospice payment policy, send your inquiry via email to: hospicepolicy@cms.hhs.gov.
