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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 147 / Wednesday, August 4, 2021 / Rules and Regulations Hospice QRP, and expressed interest in the indicator-level information as well as the index score to better understand the hospice. Their response confirmed our understanding that the data included in HCI will be useful for patients and families as they compare and select hospice providers. Based on the caregivers feedback, we proposed reporting the HCI as a single score to report on Care Compare, while providing the indicator scores in the Provider Data Catalog PDC. We will continue to apply ideas shared by the Caregiver Workgroup participants as we refine plans for the measures public display to minimize the risk of misinterpretation.
Final Decision: We are finalizing as proposed to publicly report the HCI and HVLDL beginning no earlier than May 2022, and to include it in the Preview Reports no sooner than the May 2022
refresh.

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4. Update on Publicly Reporting for the Hospice Visits When Death is Imminent HVWDII Measure 1 and the Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life HVLDL Measure As discussed earlier, the HIS V3.00
PRA Submission, CMS10390 OMB
control number: 09381153, finalized the proposal to replace the HVWDII
measure pair with a re-specified version called HVLDL, which is a single measure based on Medicare claims.
Relatedly, in the HIS V3.00 PRA
Submission, CMS10390 OMB control number: 09381153, we finalized the proposal to remove Section O from the HIS. As stated in section 1814i5E of the Act, we establish procedures for making all quality data submitted by hospices under 418.312 available to the public. Thus, we would have continued to publicly report HVWDII
Measure 1 data through the November 2021 refresh. Because of the data freeze, HVWDII Measure 1 data from the November 2020 refresh, covering HIS
admissions during Q1 through Q4 2019, will be publicly displayed for all calendar year 2021 refreshes. We may retain the November 2020 refresh for HVWDII Measure 1 for one or more refreshes in 2022, when there will be no HIS Section O data, if doing so will allow us to consolidate changes and thus operate more efficiently.
D. Update on Transition From Hospice Compare to Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog In September 2020, we launched Care Compare, a streamlined redesign of eight existing CMS healthcare compare tools available on Medicare.gov, including Hospice Compare. Care
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Compare provides a single user-friendly interface that patients and family caregivers can use to make informed decisions about healthcare based on cost, quality of care, volume of services, and other data. With just one click, patients can find information that is easy to understand about doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care services instead of searching through multiple tools.
For the last six years, Medicares Hospice Compare has served as the cornerstone for publicizing quality care information for patients, family caregivers, consumers, and the healthcare community. The new website builds on the eMedicare initiative to deliver simple tools and information to current and future Medicare beneficiaries. Drawing on lessons learned through research and stakeholder feedback, Care Compare includes features and functionalities that appeal to Hospice Compare consumers. By offering an accessible and user-friendly interface and a simple design that is optimized for mobile and tablet use, it is easier than ever to find information that is important to patients when shopping for healthcare.
Enhancements for mobile use will give practical benefits like accessing the tool using a smartphone that can initiate phone calls to providers simply by clicking on the providers phone number.
In conjunction with the Care Compare launch, we have made additional improvements to other CMS data tools, to help Medicare beneficiaries compare costs. Specifically, the Provider Data Catalog PDC better serves innovators and stakeholders who are interested in detailed CMS data and use interactive and downloadable datasets like those currently available on data.Medicare.gov. The PDC now makes quality datasets available through an improved Application Programming Interface API, allowing innovators in the field to easily access and analyze the CMS publicly-reported data and make it useful for patients.
e. Update on Additional Information on Hospices for Public Reporting In the FY 2019 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements final rule 83 FR 38622, we finalized plans to publicly post information from the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Hospice Public Use File PUF and other publicly-available CMS
data to Hospice Compare or another CMS website. Hospice PUF data are available for CY 2014 through CY 2016.
Beginning with CY 2017 data, hospice
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PUF data are public as part of the PostAcute Care and Hospice Provider Utilization and Payment PUF hereafter PAC PUF. For more information, please visit the PAC PUF web page at: https
www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Dataand-Systems/Statistics-Trends-andReports/Medicare-Provider-ChargeData/PAC2017. Both the Hospice and PAC PUFs provide information on services provided to Medicare beneficiaries by hospice providers.
Specifically, they contain information on utilization, payment Medicare payment and standard payment, submitted charges, primary diagnoses, sites of service, and beneficiary demographics organized by CCN 6-digit provider identification number and state.
PUF data, along with clear text explaining the purpose and uses of this information and suggesting consumers discuss this information with their healthcare provider, first displayed in a consumer-friendly format on Hospice Compare in May 2019. Beginning May 2021, we will begin to display additional information from the PAC
PUF on Care Compare. This additional information includes hospices beneficiary characteristics such as the percentage of patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage. In addition, consumers will see whether a hospice provided services to Medicare Advantage enrollees or patients who have coverage under both Medicaid and Medicare, also called dual eligible patients. The data for these additional characteristics are pulled directly from the PAC PUF file and provide potential hospice service patients and family caregivers with more detail prior to selecting a hospice.
As finalized in the FY 2019 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Update final rule 83 FR 38622, we also improved access to publicly-available information about hospices compliance with Hospice QRP requirements. Specifically, we already post the annual Hospice APU Compliant List on the HQRP
Requirements and Best Practices web page. This document displays the CCN, name, and address of every hospice that successfully met quality reporting program requirements for the fiscal year.
Hospices are only considered compliant if they meet the standards for HIS and CAHPS reporting, as codified in 418.312. Consumers can now access the Hospice APU compliance file from Care Compare, enabling them to determine if a particular hospice is compliant with CMS quality reporting requirements.

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