LeadingAge members who are home or host hospices for patients with multiple residences or who travel throughout the year are advised to pay careful attention to the new Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool expectations and understand the tool’s applications. LeadingAge reached out to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to understand how the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool would apply in these situations. CMS believes situations in which a newly admitted hospice patient travels during the first month of hospice service are very rare, but has offered some clarification on managing the situation for home and host hospices. Read our detailed analysis.

The Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool has up to four separate visit requirements depending on the patient’s length of stay. If, during admission or one of the two HOPE Update Visits (HUVs), a patient is found to have moderate to severe pain or other symptoms, a Symptom Follow-up Visit (SFV) must be completed within two calendar days. LeadingAge reached out to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to understand its expectations for completing the SFV as part of HOPE in situations of severe weather or emergency conditions. Read the details about CMS’ clarifications re coding and Extension and Exemption requests.

Following its August 5, 2025 webinar on how to correctly code the new Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 11, 2025 updated its Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) training and education library with various items from the three-hour event. Details here.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on July 31 the availability of the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool validation utility tool (VUT). This tool is used by hospice vendors to test their current products and validate assessment upload compatibility. This is one of the final steps before implementing new quality requirements for assessment submissions.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting enrollment for hospices in the iQIES system. This new system is required for submitting information on the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool starting on October 1, 2025. CMS states for a hospice organization to receive access to iQIES, the organization must complete the steps in the announcement no later than September 10, 2025.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 1, 2025 released the FY2026 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule. Despite clear concerns from the sector, CMS made no planned delay for the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool. Read more here.

As part of the transition from the Hospice Item Set to the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE), hospices will be required to create an iQIES account for data submission to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). For agencies that include home health or skilled nursing as another business line, there is more than likely an existing iQIES account for your organization and your hospice can be added as another provider by searching for the CCN. For those agencies that do not have an existing iQIES account, you will need to create an account. To help members with this process, LeadingAge created a new resource guiding members through what to consider as new accounts are created.

LeadingAge’s members-only HOPE Implementation Guide, now live on the LearningHub, helps hospice providers navigate the Centesf or Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment. This resource walks users through key information and timelines to help them prepare for a successful HOPE tool implementation, which begins on October 1, 2025. The content covers all sections of the HOPE along with considerations for staffing and information on submission and corrections. It also includes helpful downloadable materials. Access the tool here.

On June 20, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated version of the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Quality Measure (QM) Specifications Users Manual V1.03. This QM Manual contains instructions to calculate all HQRP measures, including the HOPE-based quality measures.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted a June 24, 2025 presentation (which was not delivered live) to their website providing additional details to hospice providers and technology vendors on the implementation of the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation tool, or HOPE. Of note, CMS called out a new Errata V1.00.2 available in the downloads section for the final Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) data submission specifications (V1.00.1) which vendors will need to update their current systems to align with recent changes to the HOPE manual. The slide deck provides timeline updates for the transition to iQIES and the anticipated availability of the VUT. It also includes iQIES training tutorials to prepare hospices for the implementation of HOPE.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released in April an updated Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) manual. We summarize changes to several key items and provide highlights on guidance updates: find them here.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) Guidance Manual and accompanying Change Table. There are a number of clarifications on HOPE Update Visits (HUV) and Symptom Follow Up Visits (SFV) which are not conducted within the expected timelines. Read more and find links to materials here.

The final Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) data submission specifications (V1.00.1) are now available in the downloads section of the HOPE Technical Information webpage. This final version of the specifications will go into effect on October 1, 2025. Get the details here.

LeadingAge’s summary of the proposed FY2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services April 11 provides members with a broad overview of the proposed rule, including aspects that pertain to the HOPE tool. Read more here.

Materials and a recording from the December 12, 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Forum, which provided an overview of the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool and more, are now available. Click here for more information.

On November 21, 2 p.m. ET, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a Hospice Technical Informational Call for Software Vendors and Developers. Members are strongly encouraged to make sure their software vendor is participating in the call and request an update from the vendor on their progress to support implementation. For more information and registration details, see this.

As providers prepare for the October 1, 2025 implementation date for the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released two new resources: a 30-minute, self-paced online “Train-the-Trainer” program, and the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Quality Measure Specifications User’s Manual chapter for HOPE Process Measures. See our bulletin for more details.

If you are planning to attend the 2024 LeadingAge Annual Meeting, October 27-30 in Nashville, session 134-K on October 30 will offer a deep dive on the HOPE Tool. That session is part of a dedicated program of special events and sessions curated for hospice providers.

Medicare-certified hospices will start collecting data on the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) beginning on October 1, 2025 (FY 2026). It’s time to start training staff on the key elements of this data collection tool which will now be required for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Access our crosswalk of the new tool and links to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) explainer video here.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on September 16 released final materials for its Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool that CMS finalized to start October 1, 2025. Read more here.

Included in the final FY2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements, released on the Federal Register public inspection site July 30, are finalized provisions to implement the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool. Read more here.

This Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 proposed hospice wage index rule contains the proposal to implement the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool, a long-awaited standardized patient level data collection tool that CMS proposes to start on or after October 2025. Read our analysis here.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS)Fiscal Year 2025 Hospice Wage Index proposed rule, released March 28, contains the proposal to implement the standardized patient assessment – the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool. Read more here.

Included in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Measures Under Consideration list, released December 1, are two new process measures for hospices based on the yet-to-be-released HOPE tool. Read more here.