Medicare Mandates Hospice Election Addendums for All Beneficiaries
New regulations require hospices to provide election statement addendums to all Medicare beneficiaries at the time of election.
Hospices must now provide the hospice election statement addendum to all Medicare beneficiaries at the time of hospice election. This change modifies previous rules where the addendum was a condition of payment only when requested by beneficiaries, representatives, non-hospice providers, or Medicare contractors.
Hospices are required to furnish the addendum within the first five days of a hospice election. Any updates to the addendum must be provided in writing to the individual or their representative within three days of changes to the plan of care that impact the addendum determinations.
Beyond documentation, the rule expands who can discharge a patient from hospice care. A physician designee or a physician member of the interdisciplinary group may now perform this action in addition to the hospice medical director.
The update also introduces a hospice spending variation index (SSVI) to monitor non-hospice spending. The SSVI utilizes a scoring system based on nine claims-based metrics to rank providers, intended to help beneficiaries make informed health decisions.
These regulations, which also update the hospice wage index, payment rates, and the Hospice Quality Reporting Program, take effect on October 1, 2026.