Beginning July 1, 2014, Medicare-certified hospices must directly submit a Hospice Item Set (HIS)-Admission and HIS-Discharge record for each patient admission that occurs on or after July 1. Records must be submitted electronically. In recent weeks, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released numerous materials to assist hospices in their preparations for the coming requirement.
Failure to collect and report HIS records for July 1 through Dec. 31, 2014, will result in a 2 percent reduction in hospice payments for fiscal year (FY) FY2016.
There are several new and updated HIS-related downloads and resources available for providers that should be reviewed in preparation for the July 1 HIS start date. Available resources and materials include:
Additional time was sought to allow for a more orderly transition resulting in more accurate data on the claim. CMS responded with a letter dated March 28, 2014 indicating that the hospice industry has had a full eight months to prepare for the data reporting requirements and a delay is not necessary.
- UPDATED Version of the HIS Manual (V1.01) and Relevant Change Table available on the “Hospice Item Set (HIS)” portion of the website. Providers should review V1.01 of the HIS Manual and the relevant change table to make sure they are aware of changes made from V1.00.0 to V1.01 of the HIS Manual.
- NEW Fact Sheet about Guidelines for HIS Completion Timing is available on the “Hospice Item Set (HIS)” portion of the website. This Fact Sheet replaces previous CMS guidance about updating the HIS and provides important new information.
- NEW Question and Answer (Q+A) Document is available on the “Hospice Item Set (HIS)” portion of the website. This document contains frequently asked HIS-related questions received on the HelpDesk January – March 2014 (the document is located in the DOWNLOADS section and labeled “April 2014 Q & A Document – FINAL”).
- Registration for hospice User IDs – hospices will need 2 user IDs to submit HIS records to the QIES ASAP system. Information on where and how to register for these User IDs is available on the “HIS Technical Information” portion of the website.
- Technical training modules covering HIS registration and submission processes including submission of files to QIES ASAP and using the HART software – Providers can find more information about these training modules on the “HIS Technical Information” portion of this website.
As a reminder, a recording of the HIS training, originally presented on Feb. 4 and 5, is now available at http://www.cms.gov/. This training covers HIS data collection processes including item-specific instructions for each item in the HIS, along with tips and examples for HIS items. The HIS Training follows closely along with the HIS Manual (referenced above) and follows the HIS Training Slides. The Manual is an essential tool in understanding how to complete the HIS; it is recommended that you review the Manual prior to viewing the training.
HIS Concepts
HART Software/Putting Records into Electronic Format
The Hospice Abstraction Reporting Tool, or HART, is a free JAVA-based application provided by CMS and made available for hospice providers to enter and validate HIS records prior to submission to the QIES ASAP system. There are four WebEx training modules available on the HART website, as well as a demonstration copy of the HART tool that is available for download and allows users to become familiar with the tool prior to going “live” July 1.
HIS Record Submission IDs
In order to submit records and receive reports on submissions, hospices must register for two IDs and passwords -- a CMSNet User ID and a QIES User ID. Some hospices report that it has taken a few days to complete the registration process, so REGISTER NOW if you have not already done so!
CMSNet User ID
Each provider is allowed two CMSNet User IDs which allows access to CMS’ private network where the QIES systems reside. The CMSNet User ID registration is an online, self-registration process. The Hospice CMSNet Online Registration application link is posted on the CMSNet Information page on the QTSO website.
Users must follow the registration instructions contained in the Hospice CMSNet Online Registration Instructions document available on the CMSNet Information page on the QTSO website.
Following successful completion of the online registration, the user will receive two emails from the mdcn.mco@palmettogba.com email address:
- Email #1 – contains the user’s CMSNet user ID
- Email #2 – contains the password associated to the CMSNet user ID, links to access the Juniper software installation document, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) and contact information
Once you have received the second email containing the password associated to the CMSNet User ID, you may begin the process of installing the Juniper communications software. Successful installation of the Juniper software allows you to log into the CMS Network. Should you have questions while registering for the CMSNet User ID, contact the CMSNet Help Desk by:
- Phone at (888) 238-2122
- E-mail at mdcn.mco@palmettogba.com
QIES User ID
Once successfully logged into the CMS Network, providers will access a HOSPICE link. The Hospice link will allow users to access the CMS QIES Systems for Providers – Hospice Welcome page where the HOSPICE USER REGISTRATION application link resides. The Hospice User Registration application is used by the hospice provider to register for the QIES User IDs. The QIES User ID allows users to access the Hospice Submissions System to submit HIS records to the QIES ASAP system and to the CASPER Reporting system to access the Hospice Final Validation Report and other valuable Hospice reports.
Each provider is allowed to register for two QIES User IDs. The QIES User ID registration is an online, self-registration process. The Provider User Registration User’s Guide that details the process of registering for a QIES User ID is available in the Hospice User Registration application.
Should you have questions while registering for the QIES User ID, contact the QTSO Help Desk by phone at(877) 201-4721 or by email at help@qtso.com.
SPECIAL NOTE: You are encouraged to review the Hospice technical training modules 1 (CMSNet User ID Registration Process) through 3 (QIES User ID Registration Process) prior to registering for the CMSNet and QIES User IDs. The recorded training modules are available on the QTSO website.
Final Versions of the HIS Records are available on the HIS web page in the “Downloads” section. The data specifications, which detail the requirements for the submission of HIS records, are available on the HIS Technical web page. CMS estimates that completion of the HIS-Admission will take an average of 19 minutes, while completion of the HIS-Discharge is estimated to take 10 minutes.
From the NAHC Report article June 20, 2014
