Home Health & Hospice Week

Delay is possible, but don't count on it.

Big changes in hospice billing are on their way, Jan. 1--but you could get a break if industry representatives are successful in securing a requested delay.

At a Sept. 12 meeting, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice met with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to discuss Change Request 5567, the missive that spells out the new hospice Medicare billing requirements.

Results: CMS has promised to respond to questions submitted by hospices on a rolling basis, posting their answers on the CMS Web site.
Among NAHC's concerns are CMS' insertion of the word "medically" in the phrase "reasonable and necessary" and the need for a count of all direct contracts with patients in an inpatient facility.

Low-tech trouble: Another concern is that as many as 50 percent of hospices are small entities that aren't computerized--a reality that presents a major stumbling block to compliance.

Double whammy: NAHC reminded federal officials that many hospice providers are also home health agencies faced with a Jan. 1 deadline for the home health prospective payment system changes.

Hospices are asking CMS to delay full implementation of the billing changes, opting instead for pilot test involving a small number of volunteer hospices.