CMS has rolled out extensive changes to its hospice surveyor training, with a new focus on quality of care.
CMS sent a memorandum to state survey directors Jan. 27, 2023 (QSO-23-08-HOSPICE).
Revisions to Appendix M and complementary revisions to the CMS Hospice Basic Surveyor Training will equip surveyors from all surveying entities to focus on the quality of care and facilitate consistency, according to CMS.
Surveyors who have previously taken the CMS Hospice Basic Surveyor Training will take an abbreviated training that explains the new approach, while all surveyors who have not taken an earlier version of the CMS Hospice Basic Surveyor Training will take the full revised training.
There are now eight tasks in the survey protocol, with the addition of a section dedicated to sampling strategy for record reviews and home visits, according to CMS.
“The sampling strategy increases the number of records and ensures that a broader range of hospice activities are investigated (live discharges, bereavement follow-through, care for patients needing higher levels of care) from all of the locations where the hospice operates (‘multiple locations’), and the variety of home settings where patients live,” CMS states.