The CMS Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) will monitor hospices identified as poor performers based on selected quality indicators. Hospices selected for SFP will be placed under additional oversight to enable continuous improvement. The program, as mandated under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, amended sections 1822(b), 1865(a), and 1865(b) of the Social Security Act, shall include enforcement remedies for noncompliant hospice programs, and requires the development and implementation of a range of remedies, as well as procedures for appealing determinations regarding these remedies. These enforcement actions can be imposed instead of, or in addition to, termination of the hospice program’s participation in the Medicare program.
In the Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule (86 FR 35874), CMS proposed a specific methodology and criteria for the program but did not finalize the SFP in the CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule (86 FR 62240). In that same Final Rule, CMS also stated their intention to establish a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to further inform the development of the SFP and reiterated that intention in the Fiscal Year 2023 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update (87 FR 45669). CMS anticipates publishing this report on this website in April 2023.
The ‘Related Links’ section below contains a link to the Hospice Care Compare website, which compares hospices by selected locations, as well as links containing additional information related to hospice.