CMS proposes FY 2019 Hospice wage index, payment rate and quality reporting requirements

CMS has issued a proposed rule that will update hospice payment rates, wage index values, and quality reporting items for fiscal year 2019. CMS estimates that aggregate payments to hospices in FY 2019 will increase by $340 million, or 1.8 percent, compared to payments in FY 2018. CMS estimates that hospices in urban and rural areas will experience, on average, 1.8 percent and 1.9 percent increases, respectively, compared to FY 2018. For more information, see the fifth Financial Feature.