Quick Takeaways From the 2024 Proposed Hospice Wage Index Rule

Earlier this spring, as part of its annual rulemaking process for hospices, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued several important regulatory proposals. In addition to the yearly update in hospice per diem rates, the proposed rule clarifies the end dates for hospices to use telehealth and other technologies to provide remote care. The rule also contains a rather unpleasant surprise: CMS’s proposal to require, as a condition of payment, that all certifying physicians be enrolled in or validly opted-out of Medicare. Listen in as Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Andrew Brenton offer their quick takeaways and insights into the latest of CMS’s rulemaking efforts.