New Quality Data Requirements
Most hospices keep the majority of their patients comfortable throughout their journey.
However, CMS replaced the HIS with new requirements for quality data to ensure that every patient suffering from a moderate to severe symptom receives timely relief.
Effective October 1, 2025, hospices must submit the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) data set to CMS. Facilities who fail to submit at least 90% of the required HOPE data will be subject to a 4% payment reduction.
At Admission and two additional in-person visits, nurses must assess and report the severity of 8 key symptoms for each patient.*
If a symptom’s impact is rated as moderate or severe at any of the three HOPE visits, then the hospice must conduct an in-person symptom follow-up visit (SFV) within two calendar days.
*Hope Update Visit (HUV) #1 is required between days 6 and 15 of the hospice stay. HUV #2 is required between days 16 and 30.
7 Symptoms in Hospice
Julie McFadden, RN–known as “Hospice Nurse Julie”–is one of the leading voices working to demystify hospice and end of life care on social media. In this video, she provides a quick overview of the new HOPE data set and explains why it is an important change for hospice.
Ace the HOPE Symptom Assessments
Because the Macy Catheter facilitates quick management of 7 of the 8 HOPE symptoms, hospices can use it to:
Avoid time-consuming symptom follow-up visits (SFVs)Patients report relief 10-15 minutes after receiving medications via the Macy Catheter.
When a nurse finds that a patient’s symptom impact has been moderate or severe during Admission or an HUV, they can use the Macy Catheter to ensure that the visit ends with symptoms under control. The nurse can then immediately conduct the SFV and document accordingly.
Ongoing symptom management is also made easier with the Macy Catheter, because LPNs/LVNs and family caregivers can use it to quickly administer medications (without disturbing the patient). That means fewer SFVs triggered during subsequent HUVs.
Hospices can be confident in their ability to achieve excellent quality metrics without overburdening their staff.
Leslie M., RN
Executive Director, Assured Hospice Centralia – LHC Group
“We are not worried about our upcoming HOPE symptom control metrics, even for complex patients, because we use the Macy Catheter to quickly get patients comfortable and to keep them comfortable.”
Natalie L., PharmD, BCPS
Pharmacy Director, Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo
“Our organization is centered around providing timely symptom management for every patient. That’s why we were one of the first hospices to embrace the Macy Catheter as a standard of care to help accomplish this goal.”
Katie M.
COO, Norwell Visiting Nursing Association and Hospice
“We are focused on ensuring that our EMR and our staff are fully prepared for HOPE. We are confident in our ability to address any challenges as they arise. In the meantime, we’re pleased that our symptom management metrics are already strong. Our clinicians are well-trained to help patients feel comfortable quickly, using the Macy Catheter when needed. We’re confident that we’ll be ready to tackle the HOPE tool transition when the time comes.”
Leslie H.-S., MSN, APRN, NP-C, CHA
Chief Patient Care Services Officer, By the Bay Heath
“Our dedication to providing quick symptom management for every patient led us to be one of the first hospices to use the Macy Catheter as a standard. Expanding use of the Macy Catheter to our partner organizations is an important part of our preparations for HOPE because we know that it helps nurses manage even complex symptoms in a single, short visit.”
