US · guidance
CMS HPMS Memo, Part D Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Hospice—2015 Guidance (May 9, 2014), preamble
On March 10, 2014, CMS issued a memorandum specifying our final Part D guidance for 2014
regarding Part D payment for drugs for beneficiaries enrolled in hospice. In that memorandum,
we noted that we recognized there were many outstanding questions we were unable to address
through sub-regulatory guidance and agreed rulemaking would be required to resolve most of
those issues. It was our intention to undertake future rulemaking and had planned to propose
regulatory changes to be effective for coverage year 2015. However, because many commenters
on the December 6, 2013 guidance requested the opportunity to assist CMS in developing a
standardized process for payment coordination between Part D sponsors and hospices, rather
than propose changes, we included in the 2015 hospice prospective payment system proposed
rule a request for comments on the changes we are considering under Part D. Therefore, the
purpose of this memorandum is to announce our intention to continue the 2014 Part D hospice
guidance through 2015. Sponsors should consider this as you develop your bids for coverage
year 2015.
In the 2015 hospice proposed rule, we also request comments on changes we are considering to
the hospice regulations, including definitions for the terms “terminal illness” and “related
conditions” and requirements for hospices to coordinate with Part D sponsors. We encourage
you to respond to these solicitations for comment not only on the Part D changes under
consideration, but also to the hospice changes under consideration. In particular, we seek
comment on the timeframes for hospice coordination and whether the definitions of terminal
illness and related conditions will provide clear guidelines for making coverage determinations.
The proposed rule is available on the Web at:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=CMS_FRDOC_0001-1469 ..
If you have any questions about guidance for 2015, please send your questions to
PARTDPOLICY@cms.hhs.gov and include “Hospice” in the subject line to ensure prompt
referral of the email to the correct subject matter expert. Please submit any comments on the
proposed rule according to the instructions accompanying the publication of that document.
Thank you.
History
CMS memorandum dated May 9, 2014, to All Part D Plan Sponsors: "Part D Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Hospice—2015 Guidance".
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-17
- Edition
- hospice-memos-2026-09-17
- Content hash
23d39fa4e64ecab092f4bd10c316608b8cf7be023ad236bf7e7469269ff43cf7
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