CMS Releases Final Rule for Medicare Hospice Payments for FY 2024

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new final rule this week updating its hospice wage index and payment rates. The final rule, published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, also included updates regarding hospice facilities’ conditions of participation, quality reporting program requirements and certifying physician provider enrollment requirements. In addition, the new document reflects finalized changes related to the expiration of the COVID–19 public health emergency.

AABB submitted comments earlier this year in response to CMS’s previously released proposed  rule that focused on the request for information (RFI) on hospice utilization and access to palliative blood transfusions. Regarding these comments and others, CMS stated that “overall, the insights and suggestions provided by all respondents will help inform our policy-making measures and will aid our efforts of continuous improvements to hospice policies to ensure better access and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries. We intend to consider all comments and suggestions to potentially enhance policy development, address barriers, and promote transparency under the hospice benefit for potential future rulemaking.”