NHPCO Regulatory Alert: FY 2024 Hospice Wage Index and Quality Reporting Final Rule has Been Posted

Summary at a Glance

In the 4:15 posting of the Federal Register for July 28, 2023 the FY 2024 Hospice Wage Index and Quality Reporting final rule was posted to the public inspection part of the Federal Register. The rule for fiscal year 2024 includes the following:

Final FY 2024 rate increase: 3.1% which is a 0.3 percentage point increase from the FY 2024 proposed rule. Rates for each level of care are available in the full analysis of the final rule.

• Cap amount: The hospice cap amount for the FY 2024 cap year is $33,494.01, which is equal to the FY 2023 cap amount ($32,486.92) updated by the FY 2024 hospice payment update percentage of 3.1 percent.
• HOPE Tool: CMS states it will provide additional information on the HOPE Tool test results on the HQRP website in fall 2023.
• Update on Future Quality Measure (QM) Development: CMS appreciated the comments on future QM development and will continue to engage stakeholders in the development of measures.
• CAHPS Hospice Survey Experiment: CMS provided an update on a survey-mode experiment and stated any new modes for completion of the survey would be released with detailed information.
• Hospice Certifying Physician Medicare Enrollment or Valid Opt-Out: On May 1, 2024, hospice certifying physicians, including hospice physicians and hospice attending physicians, will be required to be enrolled in Medicare or validly opted-out.

The CMS Fact Sheet on the final rule describes additional details of the rule. Final FY 2024 Hospice Wage Index values were also posted. The FY 2024 Final State/County Rate Charts are available and can now be used for FY 2024 budget purposes. CMS accepted and responded to many of the recommendations NHPCO advocated for in our comment letter.

A full analysis of the Final Rule is available for NHPCO members.

• Any questions can be directed to [email protected] with “FY 2024 Hospice Final Rule” in the subject line.