Documentation - Chaplains

Hospice Documentation: Why It’s Vital and How to Do It Right

What is documentation? Documentation is an essential part of patient care, especially when you are working as a member of a hospice team. Hospice documentation involves writing down everything you did, observed, and discussed with the patient and their family during your visit. This includes the car

August 26, 2024 · 3 min read

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 all patients, irrespective of payer source, patient age, or location where hospice services were provided. It is recommended that

November 27, 2022 · 3 min read

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 surveys informal caregivers – usually family members – of the persons who died under hospice care. The survey is a component of the Ho

November 27, 2022 · 5 min read

What is a hospice PEPPER report?

Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports (PEPPER) is a data analysis report that has been available for hospices since 2012. This report contains claims data statistics based upon UB-04 claims data submissions for a single hospice agency. The statistics are generated for areas that

November 26, 2022 · 6 min read

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 hospice agency’s potential need for change to its practices to guard against improper billing. Hospice agencies

November 26, 2022 · 5 min read

What is Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life (HVLDL)?

HVLDL is an HQRP claims-based measure of the proportion of patients who have received in-person visits from a registered nurse (RN) or a medical social worker (MSW) on at least two of the final three days of life. This metric replaces the HIS-based measure Hospice Visits When Death is Imminent (HVWD

November 13, 2022 · 4 min read

What is Hospice Care Index (HCI)?

HCI is a single comprehensive metric reflecting ten indicators of care delivered during a hospice stay — from admission to discharge.  This metric, which is included in the patient Care Compare portal, is intended to provide patients, families, and caregivers with an added metric to support inf

November 13, 2022 · 4 min read