The top 5 survey deficiencies in hospice care

Explore how hospice oversight, the IMPACT Act, and OIG findings led to actions within the industry to address hospice concerns. Take a deep dive into the top five survey deficiencies in hospice care. And discover expert strategies to help with overcoming these deficiencies moving forward.

How legislation and studies are increasing hospice quality oversight

On October 6, 2014, the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act (IMPACT Act) was signed into law. This legislation primarily focused on the requirements for the reporting of standardized patient assessment data for certain post-acute care providers. However, it also included a provision requiring certified hospice programs to be surveyed by a state or local agency or an approved accreditation agency, no less frequently than once every thirty-six months. (If passed, currently introduced legislation would increase frequency to no less than once every
twenty-four months.)

Used to determine federal health and safety compliance, this provision was the first statutory requirement for hospice survey frequency and addressed a longstanding critique that hospice agencies could go several years—some even a decade—without being surveyed.

While the IMPACT Act addressed a shortcoming in hospice oversight, it did not alter hospice quality oversight.