Length of stay – active or discharged patients?
Patient length of stay is monitored to detect instances of inappropriate use of the hospice benefit or other deficiencies in the services delivered by the hospice…
Average length of stay versus median length of stay
Patients are eligible for hospice if they have a terminal diagnosis and a prognosis of six or fewer months to live if their disease runs its…
What is a False Claims Act investigation?
What is the False Claims Act? The False Claims Act (FCA) was established in 1863 during the Civil War to combat fraud and abuse perpetrated by…
What is Hospice Item Set (HIS)?
All Medicare certified hospice agencies must submit an HIS Admission and HIS Discharge record on all admissions and discharges from their agency. The report must include…
What is the CAHPS survey?
The CAHPS survey is intended to measure the experience of patients who had died while receiving hospice care and the experience of their primary caregivers. It…
Understanding the PEPPER Report
The PEPPER report target areas focus on statistics that will identify potential for improper Medicare billing. Comparison to national, jurisdictional, and state percentiles can highlight a…