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CMS hospice proposed rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a change in guidelines as to how skilled nursing facilities qualify for Medicare and how nursing facilities qualify for Medicaid. Such a rule would make it easier for long-term care facilities to arrange hospice care provisions with one or more Medicare-certified hospice providers, CMS said.

The rule would help long-term care facilities working with hospice facilities have definitive guidelines detailing the roles and responsibilities each organization must execute. Current regulations allow a long-term care facility to choose to have a written agreement with one or more hospice providers for a Medicare-eligible resident who chooses to have hospice. But if the facility chooses not to contract with a Medicare-certified hospice to provide hospice services for the resident who wants it, the facility is responsible for assisting the resident in transferring to a facility that will arrange for the provision of such services. (Download the attachment to see the proposed role.)

“We believe there is a lack of clear regulatory direction regarding the responsibilities of providers in caring for LTC facility residents who receive hospice care from a Medicare certified hospice provider, which could result in duplicative or missing services,” CMS said in the proposed rule.