Hospice providers can now access updated versions of the final materials needed for their transition to the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool, which will replace the Hospice Item Set (HIS) this fall.  
 
CMS published the new Hospice Quality Reporting resources on April 22. The materials include:
  • An updated version of the HOPE Guidance Manual (v1.01). 
  • A change table detailing the differences between v1.00 and v1.01 of the HOPE Guidance Manual. 
  • A HIS to HOPE v1.01 change table.  
  • Four item sets, including updated admission, HOPE Update Visit and discharge measures, as well as an all-item set. 
CMS also released the final version of the data submission specifications that technology vendors will use to inform their HOPE-related software. These specifications will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2025, the same day that hospices are expected to begin using the HOPE tool. 
 
Download the updated HOPE materials at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/hospice/hope.   
 
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