CMS has begun the process of updating the Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation (CoPs), nearly 20 years after the requirements were last comprehensively revised. The agency is starting with a series of virtual listening sessions in October to hear directly from hospice leaders, frontline staff, patients and families.
CMS is seeking feedback on requirements that may no longer reflect how hospice care is delivered today, as well as operational and workforce challenges, access to covered services, quality and safety, and safeguards against inappropriate enrollment and fraud.
Three listening sessions are scheduled:
Why it matters
This review could shape hospice operations and regulatory expectations for years to come. CMS is asking about issues providers routinely navigate, including contracting challenges, workforce capacity, hospice eligibility controls, access to covered services, the role of the medical director and volunteer requirements. This is an early opportunity for providers to help CMS understand where current requirements work and where modernization or clarification may be needed.
What to do