Hospice Certifications: What CMS Requires, Potential Pitfalls, and How to Stay Audit-Ready Hospice certification rules look straightforward. Two 90-day benefit periods. Then 60-day periods. Physician certification. Face-to-face encounters later on. Yet, certification and recertification errors remain one of the most common reasons hospice claims are denied, delayed, or recouped. Hospice certifications sit at the intersection of:…
Read moreThere’s a moment for new hospice agencies when the clinical side clicks. Your team knows how to care for patients. Admissions make sense. Plans of care feel steady. Then someone brings up hospice cost reports and the Medicare hospice cap.That’s when anxiety sets in. Cost and cap reporting are not clinical problems. They’re operational ones….
Read moreHOPE will be available for testing in your environment July 2025 Book your demo & find out more about the CHAP Verified Hospice EMR built for teams like yours! Check Out More Hospice Tools Insights! Book Your Hospice Tools Demo Today! Get to the Top with Hospice Tools! Get My Free Trial!
Read moreAt Hospice Tools we build tools that solve real problems for real hospice teams. That’s why we’re excited to introduce AI Assist, now available in beta. Hospice documentation is complex, nuanced, and high-stakes. Compliance isn’t optional, and quality charting isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about patient care, reimbursement, and protecting your agency. That’s where AI…
Read moreWhy Personalized Care Plans Matter In hospice, every patient’s situation is unique. A key reg in hospice is that care must be personalized and individualized to each patient. Personalized care plans are essential to making sure patients receive meaningful, whole-person care. Beyond managing symptoms, care plans help hospice teams honor the emotional, spiritual, and personal…
Read moreHospice agencies deal with various audits and surveys to ensure compliance with federal regulations, maintain quality patient care, and follow proper billing practices. These reviews can come from federal agencies, Medicare and Medicaid contractors, and quality assessment programs. Understanding these processes and their potential consequences can help hospices stay ahead and remain compliant. Failing an…
Read moreMedicare’s Additional Documentation Requests (ADRs) may seem scary and can be a hassle to navigate, but they’re also a great opportunity to ensure and showcase your hospice agency’s awesome care and compliance. By staying organized and with a few simple tips, your agency can easily handle ADRs. What are ADRs? Medicare uses ADRs to double-check…
Read moreIn our previous HIS informational post we focused on the best practice of confirming the uploaded file was marked successfully completed rather than relying on upload accepted as completed status. In addition to confirming that the submission is marked completed, there are certain severe yet common errors which will only appear in the CASPER Final…
Read moreSubmitting your Hospice Item Set (HIS) form is critical to your hospice agency’s financial health. CMS will not proactively notify your agency that records have been rejected until they send a bill for up to 4% of your claims revenue. It is a vital best practice after uploading your HIS zip file click the Submission…
Read moreCHAP: COMMUNITY HEALTH ACCREDITATION PARTNER AWARDS HOSPICE TOOLS EMR “CHAP VERIFIED” STATUS. Skokie, IL., September 08, 2022 – CHAP is pleased to announce that Hospice Tools EMR has achieved CHAP Verified status, granted to tools and resources used by community-based care providers that, through rigorous inspection, show no roadblocks to executing the CHAP Standards of…
Read more