Delta Connect Blog

The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) has learned that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is launching a Hospice CAHPS Survey Mode Experiment. CMS is seeking information to help in the development of adjustors that will allow for better standardization across hospices that participate in the CAHPS survey. The experiment seeks to adjust accordingly to the survey mode used by the different hospices: mail, telephone, or mixed mode. CMS is working with the RAND Corporation on the project and outreach by both CMS and RAND is currently being made to selected hospices relative to participation.

According to NAHC, House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Ranking Member Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced the Protecting the Integrity of Medicare Act (PIMA) (H.R. 5780) this week. Included in section 15 of the legislation is a provision that would impose a home health surety bond of not less than $50,000 that is “commensurate with the volume of payments to the home health agency.”

CMS has the authority under the ACA to impose such a surety bond, but has not chosen to do so. H.R. 5780 would make it mandatory.