CMS Updates What Hospice Providers in SNFs Need to Report

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released an update to its Medicare Claims Processing Manual that provides clarifying information and corrections to reporting requirements for hospice providers in skilled nursing facilities. 

The January 31, 2014 update replaces a July 2013 manual update specifying the collection of additional data on hospice claims under Affordable Care Act authority. 

“Hospices shall report line-item visit data for hospice staff providing general inpatient care (GIP) to hospice patients in skilled nursing facilities or in hospitals for claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2014,” says CMS in the update. “This includes visits by hospice nurses, aides, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists, on a line-item basis, with visit and visit length reported as is done for routine home care and continuous home care. This also includes certain calls by hospice social workers.” 

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CMS has made some revisions and clarifications to those new line-item requirements for additional claims data, including updates on reporting the use of injectable and non-injectable prescription drugs for palliative care; multi-ingredient compound non-injectable prescription drugs; and infusion pumps. 

The updated, new requirements will take effect for hospice claims for services rendered on or after April 1, 2014. Voluntary reporting began January 1, with a January 6 implementation date. 

View the CMS Manual System Medicare Claims Processing update. 

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 Written by Alyssa Gerace

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