Spotlight
FY 2027 Hospice Proposed Rule
In the FY 2027 Hospice Proposed Rule, the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount are updated. Additionally, this proposed rule also includes an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending, including details regarding a hospice service and spending variation index (SSVI), and proposes to require that hospices provide the hospice election statement addendum to all Medicare beneficiaries at the time of hospice election. This proposed rule also proposes conforming regulation text changes to discharge from hospice care regulations; regulation text changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations; and includes requests for information on community palliative care services; the construction of a hospice specific wage index; and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying (MAID). Finally, this rule proposes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
Section 6209(f)(1)(A) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA, 2026) extended the use of telehealth by a hospice physician or hospice nurse practitioner to conduct a face-to-face encounter for the sole purpose of hospice recertification. This extension is through December 31, 2027. Additionally, section 6209(f)(1)(B) of the CAA, 2026 includes a subclause that prohibits the use of telehealth to conduct the face-to-face encounter occurring on or after January 31, 2026, if the individual is located in an area that is subject to a moratorium on the enrollment of hospice programs, if the individual is receiving hospice care from a provider that is subject to enhanced oversight, or if the encounter is performed by a hospice physician or nurse practitioner who is not enrolled under section 1866(j) of the Act and is not an opt-out physician or practitioner. Section 6209(f)(2) of the CAA, 2026 also sets forth a requirement (for face-to-face encounters conducted via telehealth occurring on or after January 1, 2027) that hospice claims include one or more modifiers or codes (as specified by the Secretary) to indicate that such an encounter was conducted via telehealth. This constitutes a temporary change in the regulations at 42 CFR 418.22(a)(4)(ii).
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) 2021 – 2025.
NOW AVAILABLE: Summary and Technical Reports for Hospice Wage Index Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Meeting
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Fall 2025 Hospice Wage Index Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Meeting reports. The documents (summary report and technical report) can be accessed from the Data Collection section on the CMS Hospice Center Educational Resources page.
Contact Us
For questions about hospice payment policy, send your inquiry via email to: hospicepolicy@cms.hhs.gov.
