FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Quality Reporting Proposed Rule
April 25, 2024 - 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
Description
CMS has issued the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate proposed rule. What changes does CMS intend to implement? What is the percentage update for Medicare hospice rates? Will CMS implement the long-anticipated HOPE assessment tool? What other adjustments does CMS plan to make to the hospice quality reporting program? Are there areas where CMS is soliciting feedback?
Learn more about these issues and updates by joining this webinar for a discussion of the content in the FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Quality Reporting proposed rule.
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
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- Identify the proposed rate percentage increase for rates and the hospice aggregate cap.
- Describe any upcoming changes in the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) and the HOPE assessment tool
- Understand how to provide feedback to NHPCO and CMS in response to the proposed rule
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Speakers:
Aparna Gupta DNP, FACHE, CPHQ, CRNP
Dr. Gupta most recently served as Vice President of Clinical Operations, Bundled Payment Solutions, Medicare, and Retirement for UnitedHealth Group (UHG). Prior to joining UHG, Gupta served as Director of Quality, Safety, and Value for the Allegheny Health Network (AHN). Gupta is a board-certified nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of health care leadership experience spanning quality improvement, health care operations, executive leadership, acute care, ageing, complex disease management, clinical services, and implementation of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) programs.
Prior to her roles with UHG and AHN, Gupta served as a consultant leading an initiative for 34 hospitals and health systems across Pennsylvania to reduce sepsis-related hospital admissions. She previously served as a Senior Nurse Practitioner with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, as well as a Registered Nurse and Charge RN at two hospitals in Colorado. Gupta has been an active leader in several professional organizations, including serving as President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association. Her years of delivering high-quality health care have resulted in the achievement of Fellow status with the American College of Healthcare Executives. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, volunteering, and spending time with her family and her four-year-old Bichon.
Patrick M. Harrison, JD
Mr. Harrison is NHPCO’s Senior Director of Regulatory and Compliance. Harrison most recently worked as Health Policy Director for Applied Policy, a healthcare policy and reimbursement consulting firm. There, Harrison oversaw the firm’s health services division for clients who generate billions in annual revenue, and delivered strategic guidance to prepare for, respond to, and resolve regulatory and reimbursement issues, including coding, coverage, and payment for healthcare organizations and national trade associations. As a consultant, Harrison frequently interfaced with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), and helped clients resolve compliance issues with support through Medicare claims audits and compliance review processes.
Prior to joining Applied Policy, Harrison served as Senior Director of Post-Acute Care at the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH), where he provided leadership to drive strategic plans and operations for the association’s hospice and post-acute care members. Prior to his role with HAH, Harrison worked in a skilled nursing facility in a variety of roles, where he managed many regulatory and legislative initiatives, spearheaded dispute resolution efforts in response to state surveys and successfully reduced and mitigated the severity of major findings, and engaged extensively with residents, families, and community providers to improve care coordination and outcomes.
Harrison has worked in the healthcare field for approximately 14 years with an emphasis on health policy, regulation, and advocacy. His years of expertise in developing and implementing effective policies, strategies, and models has helped optimize healthcare outcomes and financial sustainability for healthcare organizations and the patients they serve. Patrick earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the William S. Richardson School of Law and his baccalaureate degree in anthropology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, writing, traveling, and spending time with his wife and family.
Sarah Simmons, RN, MSN, CHPN
Sarah Simmons is the Director of Quality for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Sarah has worked across the continuum of hospice care from bedside nursing to executive administration. During her 15 years of progressive experience as a hospice nurse leader, she has delivered consistent results across clinical operations, facility management, policy development, clinical education, regulatory compliance, and organizational leadership.
During six years on the Board of Directors for the Hospice and Palliative Care Network of Maryland, Sarah served as the Chair of the Regulatory/Quality Committee and led statewide initiatives related to advancing hospice quality. In her role at NHPCO, Sarah works closely with member organizations and key stakeholders to expand the provision of high-quality hospice care in order to improve patient outcomes nationwide.
Sarah holds both an MS and BS in Nursing as well as a BA in English Literature. She is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse (CHPN), Fellow of the University of Maryland School of Nursing Nurse Leadership Institute, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Available Credits for this webinar:
After participating in the live webinar, participants must pay the CE/CME fee and complete an evaluation to receive their selected CE credit.
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- 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- 1 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit
- 1 Nurse Contact Hours
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For full accreditation statements and credit information, please visit the Quality and Regulatory Series page.