NHPCO Responds to CMS FY 2025 Hospice Proposed Rule
For Immediate Release
March 28, 2024
CMS Proposes 2.6% Payment Update, Insufficient to Meet Rising Cost Pressures
(Alexandria, VA) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) published the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule which would update key components of hospice reimbursement and regulations in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
“The 2.6% proposed rate increase for hospices is not enough to support the continued delivery of hospice care amidst rising cost pressures and ongoing workforce constraints affecting hospices nationwide,” said NHPCO COO and Interim CEO, Ben Marcantonio. “To continue providing the high level of care our patients and their families deserve, hospices require a payment rate that accurately reflects the current economic challenges. We know that hospice care has demonstrated $3.5 billion in annual savings for Medicare, which underscores the critical importance of investing in hospice to ensure continued beneficiary access to quality end-of-life care.”
NHPCO is closely evaluating the proposals related to the implementation of the Hospice Outcome and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool. Marcantonio commented, “The HOPE Assessment Tool represents a dramatic shift in how hospice care quality is measured and reported. We will continue working with CMS to ensure that this new tool will serve to enhance, not hinder, the delivery of compassionate, person-centered hospice care.”
NHPCO commends CMS for taking steps to explore the possibility of a separate payment mechanism for high-intensity palliative care services in acknowledgment of both the substantial benefits these services offer to patients and the resource-intensive nature of their delivery.
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About NHPCO
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the nation’s largest and oldest membership association for providers who care for people affected by serious and life-limiting illness. Our members deliver and expand access to high-quality, person-centered interdisciplinary care to millions of Americans. NHPCO provides education and resources to support that mission. Together with our advocacy partner, the Hospice Action Network (HAN), we serve as the leading voice advancing public policy to improve serious-illness and end-of-life care, while our CaringInfo program provides free resources to educate and empower patients and caregivers. nhpco.org
Press Contact
Elyssa Katz
NHPCO Communications
571-281-0220