In order for a patient to receive the Medicare hospice benefit, the patient must be certified as terminally ill, according to a cgsmedicare webpage.
 
The certification/recertification is an important part of required documentation for Medicare payment for the hospice services provided. A common reason for hospice certification errors are related to a missing or invalid physician narrative statement, according to a cgsmedicare webpage.
 
Related link: For more information about the Medicare hospice benefit, visit: https://bit.ly/2Re1k3C.