In the August refresh of Hospice Compare, providers nationwide scored 86.4% on the “Hospice and palliative care composite process measure.”
 
By comparison, hospices scored 85.3% in May 2019. They scored 83.6% on the composite measure when it initially appeared on Hospice Compare as part of the website’s quarterly refresh in November 2018. 
 
The measure shows if hospice staff completed all of the individual Hospice Item Set (HIS) care process measures.
 
With the individual measures, scores involving the “Hospice and palliative care pain assessment” are continuing to make the biggest leaps.
 
Hospices scored 90.3% on the measure in the August refresh. By comparison, hospices scored 89.2% on the measure in May 2019, 87.8% on it in February 2019 and 85.5% on it in November 2018.
 
The latest refresh also included the debut release of provider performance on the first in a pair of measures that look at hospices visits in the final days of death.
 
The measure “Hospice visits when death is imminent – measure 1,” assesses the percentage of patients who receive at least one visit from a registered nurse, physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant in the final three days of life.
 
Measure
August 2019
May 2019
February 2019
November 2018
Hospice and palliative care composite process measure
86.4%
85.3%
84.2%
83.6%
Hospice and palliative care treatment preferences
99.1%
99.0%
98.9%
98.8%
Beliefs and values addressed (if desired by the patient)
96.6%
96.2%
95.8%
95.3%
Hospice and palliative care pain screening
96.8%
96.6%
96.3%
95.9%
Hospice and palliative care pain assessment
90.3%
89.2%
87.8%
85.5%
Hospice and palliative care dyspnea screening
98.2%
98.1%
98.1%
97.9%
Hospice and palliative care dyspnea treatment
96.3%
96.1%
95.8%
95.6%
Patients treated with an opioid who are given a bowel regimen
94.1%
94.0%
93.9%
93.8%
Hospice visits when death is imminent (Measure 1)
82.3%
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 Source: Hospice Compare