The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 Hospice Quality Reporting Program Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Summary Report. This report provides a summary of the TEP’s input on options for HOPE-based quality measure development for the HQRP.

The report also covers TEP meetings convened in both 2022 and 2023 and provides insight into how CMS plans to use the HOPE tool to develop additional quality measures for the program. The TEP cited education for medication management, wound management, and hospitalization of persons with do-not-hospitalize orders as the top priority measures to develop. Regarding risk adjustment, the TEP felt the key priorities were the age of the patient, diagnosis, and living situation or site of service.

CMS submitted the two HOPE-based process measures, Timely Reassessment of Pain Impact and Timely Reassessment of Non-Pain Symptom Impact, to the consensus-based entity (CBE) as part of the 2023 Measures Under Consideration. Based on the results of CBE review, CMS may finalize these measures in future rulemaking for the HQRP.