CMS has posted two documents that articulate key information about efforts to develop a new patient assessment tool for hospice to be proposed in future rule making. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document responds to common questions about patient assessment tools and the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE). The other document, called “HOPE Fundamentals,” highlights differences between the Hospice Item Set (HIS) and what CMS currently expects of the HOPE. These documents are now available in the Downloads section of the HOPE page.
For those hospices with an interest in testing the new hospital assessment instrument, Abt Associates is currently recruiting hospice providers to participate in alpha test of HOPE with anticipation of data collection to begin in late spring 2020. The detailed recruitment announcement with additional information about the alpha test is available on CMS’s Hospice Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Provider Engagement Opportunities webpage.
Those interested in participating, click here to complete the HOPE alpha test interest form. Recruitment ends 2/21/2020 at which time Associates will notify each applicant on or about 3/5/2020 as to whether they have or have not been selected to participate.
