As of Oct. 1, 2020, CMS requires hospices to offer patients a hospice election statement addendum—which notifies them of items and services not covered under the Medicare hospice benefit—in addition to the election statement. Because the addendum is a condition of payment, hospice claims are at risk of denial when the addendum is not in the medical records, is inaccurate or provided late (see story, p. 1),[1] said Regina Alexander, director of IRO Services at BerryDunn. Contact her at ralexander@berrydunn.com.
1 Nina Youngstrom, “CMS: New Addendum Is Required for Non-Covered Services as a Hospice Condition of Payment,” Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 8 (March 1, 2021).