
Current
Resources
Find all Current Resources from 2023 below.
NOTE: Summer Conference links can be found in JUNE; Winter Workshop in DECEMBER.
December 2023
November 2023
Subscriber Webinar

2022
title
The Hospice OIG reports issued over the past few years as well as concerns regarding patient care and fraud have led to statutory and regulatory changes and increased governmental scrutiny of hospice and palliative programs. This session will address some of the changes that have been made, the current state of governmental auditing and oversight, and what hospices can expect in the future.

Speakers:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C
October 2023
Subscriber Webinar

2023
Hospice Discharge Doors
CMS brings the final decisions on items proposed for hospices in the proposed rule from this spring, and Hospice Fundamentals brings the recommendations for the prudent hospice for implementation and compliance.

Speakers:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C
September 2023
September FYI
FYI 23.9 – Hospice Final Rule- and More!
CMS published the Hospice payment rule with a 3.1% increase.
September TOT
TOT 23.9 – Technical Components of a Payment Audit
Use this checklist prior to billing to ensure your payment is secured.
Subscriber Webinar

2023
The Final Rule
CMS brings the final decisions on items proposed for hospices in the proposed rule from this spring, and Hospice Fundamentals brings the recommendations for the prudent hospice for implementation and compliance.

Speakers:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C
August 2023
August FYI
FYI 23.8 – CMS Strategy to Curb Hospice Fraud
CMS explains new initiatives to curb fraud in blog post.
August TOT
TOT 23.8 – Knowing your Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Timelines
CMS encourages providers to befamiliar with these important dates.
Subscriber Webinar

2023
Integrative Medicine in Hospice Care
Polypharmacy is a significant concern in the palliative care setting. Integrative Medicine uses science-based modalities to improve common symptoms with fewer side-effects and complications than prescription medications. This presentation will provide the latest evidence for yoga breathing, acupuncture, sound sleep, physical activity and nutritional approaches to improve quality of life in hospice care.

Speaker:
Ashwin Mehta, MD, MPH
July 2023
July FYI
FYI 23.7 – OIG Looks at Direct Admissions to GIP
from Hospital Stays
The OIG has announced a new focus for reviews that will impact your hospice agency. They are looking at the increase in GIP utilization upon direct admission from a hospital. See the FYI for all the details.
July TOT
TOT 23.7 – Long LOS Worksheet
Subscriber Webinar

July 2023
Review of the Complete Survey Process!

Speakers:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C
June 2023
June FYI
FYI 23.6 – CMS Lifts COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
CMS has rescinded the COVID-19 vaccine mandate regulations.
June TOT
TOT 23.6 – Hospice General Inpatient Audit
CMS has a long history of scrutiny of hospice use of the general inpatient unit. Utilize this checklist in real time as a self- audit to ensure that you have the documentation needed to support this higher level of care.
May 2023
May FYI
FYI 23.5 – To Mask- or Not to Mask? Updated CMS Guidance for End of PHE
CMS and the CDC have provided additional clarifications on masking and the impact to agencies now that the PHE has ended. CDC and CMS have provided agencies with some “final guidance”- and promises more to come.
May TOT
TOT 23.5 – How CMS Views SNF vs NF
CMS shines a light on our billing habits each year with the
release of our PEPPER reports. It has been noted that more
agencies are outliers in offering care in a “SNF”. After investigating, most agencies find that they simply didn’t have the correct “Q code” on the claim to describe the facility is receiving care. This tool will aide your agency in ensuring you have the right code being reported
to CMS, and keep you off the RADAR.
Subscriber Webinar

May 2023
Wage Index, PEPPER Data and Quality Reporting Updates

Speaker:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C
April 2023
April FYI
FYI 23.4 – CMS Updated Hospice Payment Data in new PEPPER
The annual Hospice PEPPER for 2022 was released by CMS and the PEPPER contractor on April 6th, 2023, and is available for download.
April TOT
TOT 23.4 – Compliance Updates after End of PHE
TOT 23.4.a – Medicare Telehealth Post-Public Health Emergency (PHE)
Subscriber Webinar

April 2023
Gift Giving and Referral Sources
Is your sales team overwhelmed with CMS regulations? Do you provide annual education? This is a webinar that will simplify the rules and keep your organization compliant.
Speaker:
Timothy E. Monaghan Partner, Shutts & Bowen, LLP
March 2023
March FYI
FYI 23.3 – PAC Quality Exemptions when Discharging
to Hospice
Election of hospice by patients who utilized home health now provides home health an exemption from quality measures. CMS published an Update to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual, Version 2.0.
Subscriber Webinar

March 2023
Revisions to Hospice - Appendix M
We will provide you with a step-by-step of all the changes, plus a tool to ensure that you can “check off” that your agency is ready for the updated survey.

Speaker:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C
February 2023
February FYI
FYI 23.2 – End to the Hospice PHE Waivers
The administration has stated that they anticipate only extending the Public Health Emergency (PHE) one more month, ending the three-year-long PHE on April 11th, 2023.
Subscriber Webinar

February 2023
Identifying the Attending Physician
Is it clear to your team who the attending Physician is? This webinar will assist you on how your Hospice designates the attending Physician and documents it accurately.

Speaker:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C, Hospice Fundamentals
January 2023
January FYI
FYI 23.1 – CMS Quality Updates for Hospices!
CMS has updated their Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) tools and website. CMS has established a multi-faceted quality reporting program. These measures come from the Hospice Item Set, claims measures and the Hospice CAHPS survey feedback.
Subscriber Webinar

January 2023
ELIGIBILITY - The First Steps to a Successful Hospice
Does everyone on your team understand the Eligibility process? In this webinar, we will help you stay compliant by providing you with tools and guidelines for determining Hospice Eligibility.

Speaker:
Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C, Hospice Fundamentals