NEW! Hospice Model Election Statement

NHPCO

A revised CMS Hospice Model Example Election Statement was recently posted for provider use. NAHC and NHPCO met with staff at CMS last week and asked to have the Right to Request “Patient Notification of Hospice Non-covered Items, Services, and Drugs” section updated to reflect the current timeframe for supplying the election statement addendum. CMS changed the timeframe in 2021 to allow hospices to supply the addendum within 5 days from the date of request if requested within the first five days of hospice care and within 3 days if requested later in the course of care but had not updated the model election statement.

We also shared that there is some confusion about the Representative signature.  CMS revised both sections in the new model form. CMS will also be making some updates to the Model Example of “Patient Notification of Hospice Non-Covered Items, Services, and Drugs”, referred to more commonly as the Election Statement Addendum. Stay tuned to NAHC Report for notification of its posting.

Hospices that use the CMS model election statement or use the language from the model statement in their own customized election statement can begin using the form/revised language immediately for newly enrolling patients. NAHC encourages providers to make these updates as soon as possible as we anticipate the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and other audit contractors will soon be looking for these updates for new admissions. We are reaching out to the MACs to see if there is a specific date after which they will expect to see the new form/language in use. 

There is not a need to have currently enrolled patients sign a new election statement, although hospices can provide existing patients with the new statement if they’d like to do so; however, it should not have any impact on the patient’s effective date/start of care date for the Medicare hospice benefit.