Current Announcements
Home Health and Hospice Nationwide Moratorium
On May 13, 2026, CMS announced a 6-month hospice and home health enrollment moratoria. Beginning on the effective date of the moratorium, no new Home Health Agencies and Hospice providers will be enrolled into Medicare.
Moratoria typically only affects new enrollment applications and existing enrolled providers and suppliers can generally:
- Continue to participate in Medicare
- Submit claims for covered services, and
- Make certain changes to their enrollment information
Furthermore, the nationwide hospice moratorium will not impact the telehealth flexibility currently available for face-to-face recertification requirements. Hospices that are already enrolled can continue to utilize telehealth to conduct recertification encounters
Additional information on the Hospice and Home Health Agency moratoria can be found via the Federal Register at: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-09717 (Home Health) and https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-09718 (Hospice) and the Home Health and Hospice Nationwide Moratorium Q&As located at: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/hh-hospice-moratorium-faqs.pdf (PDF)
FY 2027 Hospice Final Rule
In the FY 2027 hospice final rule, the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount are updated. This final rule also includes an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending, including details regarding a hospice service and spending variation index, and finalizes the requirement that hospices provide the hospice election statement addendum to all Medicare beneficiaries at the time of hospice election. Additionally, this rule finalizes conforming changes to discharge from hospice care regulations and changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations. This final rule also includes a summary of comments received on our requests for information regarding community-based palliative care; the construction of a hospice specific wage index; and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying laws. Finally, this rule finalizes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI) Data
In the FY 2027 hospice proposed rule, we developed the SSVI, which calculates an overall score using nine claims-based metrics, each representing different aspects of hospice utilization as well as non-hospice spending. We plan to determine the SSVI for individual hospices each fiscal year using that applicable year’s data. For more information, see the full documentation under the downloads section of the most recent published hospice rule located on the Hospice Regulations & Notices web page.
Hospice Monitoring Report (April 2026)
The Original Medicare 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 Original Medicare hospice benefit and how it is being used. Specifically, we focus on hospice utilization from Federal Fiscal Years (FYs) 2021 – 2025.
Extended use of Telehealth (February 2026)
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).
Past Announcements
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.