Regulatory Compliance
Understanding HQRP: The History of Hospice Quality
Hospice care, since its inception, has been about compassionate care. However, the underlying mechanisms of how it is paid for and how hospice quality is evaluated have undergone a significant transformation. This shift is part of a broader healthcare movement towards value-based care, moving away f
March 22, 2026 · 6 min read
QAPI Documentation: How to Show Your Program is Active and Effective
Hospice leaders often understand that QAPI is required by CMS, but many do not know how to document the program in a way that proves it is genuinely active and effective. CMS surveyors want to see more than binders, charts, or paperwork. They are looking for documentation that demonstrates continuou
December 30, 2025 · 6 min read
How to Collect QAPI Data that Shows What Needs to Improve
In hospice, most organizations understand why Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) is required. What many do not understand is how to collect data in a way that reveals patterns, risks, and opportunities for improvement. QAPI data collection does not mean saving every report, printi
December 29, 2025 · 4 min read
What is the Hospice Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Program?
A hospice Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program is the formal system a hospice uses to understand how well it is functioning, where it is at risk, and how it will improve over time. Under 42 CFR § 418.58, CMS requires every hospice to maintain an ongoing, hospice-wide, data-d
December 29, 2025 · 6 min read
The Hospice Initial Assessment: A Foundation for Compliance & Quality
When hospice patients have no family or stable home, care gets complex. This blog explores how teams can respond with compassion, ethics, and creativity.
August 24, 2025 · 4 min read
Government Audits: Extrapolation and its Financial Impact
Hospice agencies are under increasing scrutiny by government auditors. A particularly concerning and financially devastating aspect of government audits is the use of statistical extrapolation. Understanding the extrapolation process is essential for providers to safeguard the financial healthof the
June 30, 2025 · 4 min read
Legal Risks of Retaliation: How to Handle Employee Complaints Safely
When an employee brings forward a compliance concern, they’re engaging in what the law defines as protected activity. This might involve reporting a potential violation of hospice regulations, concerns about Medicare fraud, or even raising issues about unsafe working conditions. These are rights gua
December 10, 2024 · 3 min read
What is a Hospice IDG Meeting and Who Should Attend
The hospice interdisciplinary group (IDG) creates a patient’s plan of care and provides holistic care to the patient, caregiver, and family. Hospice Conditions of Participation require the IDG to “review, revise, and document the individualized plan as frequent as the patient’s condition requires, b
October 13, 2024 · 3 min read
Elevate Your Hiring with Powerful Demographic Insights
Creating and using benchmarks to compare your company's hiring demographics against those used by government agencies like the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) is crucial. Benchmarking helps ensure that your company’s hiring practices are fair and compliant with federal regulations. He
August 3, 2024 · 3 min read
What is the Hospice Special Focus Program?
The hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) is conducted by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The objective of this program is to identify poor performing hospice agencies, based upon quality indicators, that place hospice beneficiaries at risk. These hospice agencies will then be sub
February 14, 2024 · 3 min read
What is the hospice governing body?
What is the governing body? In accordance with the Conditions of Participation, a Medicare certified hospice agency must have a governing body. The governing body has ultimate responsibility for the hospice agency, including legal and financial authority. Medicare Conditions of Participation require
January 29, 2023 · 2 min read
