Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Issue Date: August 20, 2020

About this Page

The Provider and Stakeholder Engagement webpage is where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posts engagement materials, upcoming opportunities, and activities. The opportunities relate to CMS’ ongoing efforts to develop new quality measures for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP), develop the new hospice patient assessment, Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE), and maintain the Hospice Item Set (HIS). CMS’ processes, inclusive of opportunities for engagement, follow standard guidelines for measure and instrument development, which are further described on the Quality Measure Development webpage.

Opportunities

CMS actively seeks to engage with stakeholders as it develops new quality measures, including those for HOPE. CMS aims to provide as many relevant opportunities as possible to solicit comments from the public, including but not limited to open door forums (ODFs) and HQRP Forums, technical expert panels (TEPs), focus groups, and expert interviews. Announcements related to these stakeholder engagement opportunities will appear on the Announcements & Spotlight webpage of this website, and the full list of engagements is available on this webpage. Materials from recent HQRP Forums are available in the Downloads section below. 

In addition to the CMS HQRP website, providers can access updates by signing up for listservs pertinent to the HQRP by visiting each of the links for the listservs below:

1. Subscribe to the Post-Acute Care (PAC) QRP listserv for the latest Hospice quality reporting information including, but not limited to, training, stakeholder engagement opportunities, and general updates about reporting requirements, quality measures, and reporting deadlines.
2. Open Door Forum (ODF) listserv: CMS regularly holds ODFs in which CMS makes announcements pertinent to various programs/care settings. ODFs are also an opportunity for live dialogue between CMS and the provider community at large. The specific ODF pertinent to the HQRP is the "Home Health, Hospice, and Durable Medical Equipment Open Door Forum." To sign up for this listserv, use the following link:  All Open Door Forum Mailing List Sign-Up.
3. MLN Connects Weekly newsletter, which contains CMS program and policy details, updates and announcements, press releases, upcoming educational event registration and reminders, claim, pricer, and code information and updates on new and revised MLN Publications. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter.
4. QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) webpage and email communications: Providers can access technical and program-level updates. This could include assessment submission system updates, trainings, data specification updates, report updates, or system downtimes.

Updates

June 20, 2025

Hospice Quality Reporting Program Technical Expert Panel Report 

CMS has released the Hospice Quality Reporting Program Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Report. This report provides a summary of the TEP’s input on the Hospice Care Index (HCI). The Fall 2024 TEP webinar focused on receiving input towards a possible re-specification of the HCI and discussion of potential new measure topics for the HQRP.

HHS is committed to making its websites and documents accessible to the widest possible audience, including individuals with disabilities. We are in the process of retroactively making some documents accessible. If you need assistance accessing an accessible version of this document, please reach out to the guidance@hhs.gov.

DISCLAIMER: The contents of this database lack the force and effect of law, except as authorized by law (including Medicare Advantage Rate Announcements and Advance Notices) or as specifically incorporated into a contract. The Department may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not posted on the guidance repository, except to establish historical facts.