CMS finalizes 2.6% payment increase for hospices in FY 2020

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late today issued a final rule to update the payment rates for hospices by 2.6% for fiscal year 2020. CMS finalizes a net payment increase of $520 million, compared to FY 2019. This includes a 3.0% market-basket update, offset by a statutorily-required reduction of 0.4% for productivity. The rule also rebases the rates hospices are paid for certain types of care. In addition, the rule modifies the beneficiary hospice election statement in order reduce the time spent trying to obtain information needed for treatment decisions and accurate claims submissions.