On August 4, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final rule for hospice payments in fiscal year (FY) 2021 in the Federal Register. This rule will be effective October 1, 2020.
Final Changes to Hospice Payments
CMS has finalized the following updates to the regulations for inflation factors, wage adjustments, and cap amounts for hospices for FY 2021.
Hospice Payments Where Quality Standards Are Met
Hospice Payments Where Quality Standards Aren’t Met
Other Notable Updates
Hospice Cap Amount
The finalized hospice cap amount increased to $30,683.93 for FY 2021 from $29,964.78 in FY 2020.
Rural Facility Designations
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Bulletin No. 18-04 issued September 14, 2018, will go into effect in 2021. CMS states that it’s important to use the latest OMB delineations to maintain an up-to-date payment system. Changes include the following:
- 34 counties previously considered urban will be considered rural in FY 2021
- 47 counties that are currently designated as rural will be considered urban in FY 2021
- A two-year transition period will be employed, using a 5% cap on decreases in payments due to this methodology change
Economic Impact
The overall economic impact of the proposed FY 2021 changes constitutes a $540 million increase in payments from FY 2020.
Next Steps
Hospice providers need to review whether the appropriate rates have been loaded into their patient accounting system used to bill Medicare. Once these revised rates are incorporated, best practice would be to validate that the rates are calculating appropriately.
We’re Here to Help
For more information about the final rule, the revised rates or during the course of your validation review, contact your Moss Adams professional.