CMS proposes CoPs to improve hospice care
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed new conditions of participation (CoP) for hospices that will ease the regulatory burden for hospice providers and improve the quality of care for all hospice patients.
Under the proposed rule, the hospice CoP would provide more attention to meeting the specific needs of individual patients.
Changes and additions to the current rule, originally published in 1983, would include the following items:
- adding a patient assessment requirement to ensure all patient needs are identified on a timely basis;
- replacing the quality assurance requirement with a more comprehensive quality assessment and performance improvement CoP that enables hospices to take tailored proactive steps to ensure quality care;
- allowing hospices to contract for core services in certain situations;
- removing the requirement that a registered nurse provide patient care in an inpatient facility on a 24-hour basis, as recommended by the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Regulatory Reform.
CMS is proposing to remove this prescriptive, process-oriented requirement, contained in the current hospice CoP, and replace it with an alternative outcome-oriented requirement that focuses on the results of care provided to patients and their families and adding guidance for hospices that care for residents of nursing facilities.
To view the proposed rule published in the Federal Register, go to www.gpoaccess.gov/ fr/index and under "quick search" type "page 30840," "40 CFR part 5418," AND hospice conditions of participation).
Public comments will be accepted until July 27, 2005.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed new conditions of participation (CoP) for hospices that will ease the regulatory burden for hospice providers and improve the quality of care for all hospice patients.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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