Rural Hospice and Palliative Care – News

CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements Federal Register

Apr 6, 2026 - Notice of a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updating the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for fiscal year 2027. Among other things, this rule proposes conforming regulation text changes to discharge from hospice care regulations; regulation text changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations; and includes requests for information on community palliative care services, the construction of a hospice specific wage index, and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying (MAID). This rule also includes an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending and proposes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. Comments are due by June 1, 2026.

view details