3/12/2025 J6/JK Hospice POE Advisory Group Meeting

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Member Attendees: Ashley Hanna, Kimberly Baker, Barb Hansen, Beth Slepian, Beth Werner, Carla Alexander, Christina Remus, Cindy Hahn, Cindy Vanvi, Christine McMichael, Edward Martin, Jamie Thompson, Karen Madrid, Katie Wehri, Kevin Tutunjian, Kerry Stevenson, Lisa Reichert, Mary Jane Ruppert, Mecca Trueblood, Meredith Kirkpatrick, Nicholas Oliver, Niamh Van Meines, Pat Conole, Patricia Whitman, Patrick Harrison, Rebecca Burnett, Rita Manaugh, Sabas Rosado, Sheila Clark, Stephanie Lee, Susan Strauss, Tracy Wodatch

National Government Services Associates: Melissa Avery, Jessica Bewley-Smith, Emily Fox-Squairs, Christa Shipman

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I. Welcome

Jessica Bewley-Smith, NGS

Jessica commenced the meeting with a cordial welcome to all the new members in attendance. She went over key reminders for the virtual session and reiterated that the POE AG's primary objective is to support the development of educational initiatives and to collect feedback from a provider's perspective. This approach aims to enhance our educational offerings, enabling the HHH Team to design and deliver content that is most advantageous to our provider community.

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II. Website/NGSConnex Updates

Jessica Bewley-Smith, NGS

Since November, there have been no updates to the website or NGSConnex that impact hospice providers. As always, members are encouraged to share any suggestions for improving the website or our provider portal by sending them to the HHH Team at NGSHHHPOE@elevancehealth.com

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III. Completed and Upcoming Education

Jessica Bewley-Smith, NGS

A demonstration was given on how to access past and upcoming educational events through the website. Previously completed sessions featured topics such as PECOS, Medicare Secondary Payer, Provider Enrollment, and Hospice Billing. Upcoming sessions will include additional Provider Enrollment topics and several hospice-related sessions. All providers, including Hospice POE AG members, are encouraged to participate in future webinars and training offered via YouTube and Podcasts.

The annual collaborative summit, originally scheduled for October, will not be held in person this year due to venue scheduling conflicts. Instead, a virtual event will take place. This year's virtual format allows us to collaborate with internal departments at NGS to present a range of topics, and attendance will be free of charge.

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IV. Advisory Recommendations From 11/14/2024

Jessica Bewley-Smith, NGS

Jessica reviewed the advisory recommendations and updates from the last meeting:

Incarcerated and Unlawfully Present article added with rejection codes for each claim error
Termination of the Hospice Benefit Component of VBID Model article
Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight for New Hospices
Monthly Hospice Coffee Break sessions were held last year and will continue in 2025

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V. Education Review/Discussion

All

Jessica reviewed the draft PPT on the Levels of Hospice Care. The following suggestions were made regarding the draft material:

Slide 12 – include information to explain hospice aides or homemakers can be half the hours of care
Slide 13 – mention care needs to be in a Medicare-certified facility
Slide 14 – GIP can be in hospital or hospice facility – can technically also be in a SNF
Slide 17 – consider an example for CHC where nursing support provided must be 8 hours in a 24-hour period
Define terminality and the need for that to be part of the patient’s record

The members suggested the following topics for upcoming education:

Create an article or QA on what hospices need to do in a situation where an attending physician appointed by the beneficiary does not want to be the appointed attending
Education session on what to do with untimely initial certifications
Clarify reasons for revocation versus discharge, specifically when out of service area
Consider offering education on the use of revocation for patients admitted to the hospital for unrelated issues and providing consultative services while the patient is in the hospital for non-hospice-related care
Develop materials for hospice nurse practitioners on documentation standards for face-to-face visits
Provide information on the SIA, specifically regarding the inclusion of Nurse Practitioner visits as RN visits in the SIA calculation at end of life when they are not the attending – many hospices need clarification on how this is evaluated, and better understanding is needed
Create a one-sheet summary for patients re-enrolling after the third benefit period, covering key requirements
Develop education on what to do with an untimely initial certification

The members were given a follow-up assignment to email the NGSHHHPOE@elevancehealth.com mailbox with feedback about education to include: one liked aspect of past training, one area for improvement, and one new education topic suggestion.

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VI. Updates/Reminders/Open Floor

All

The next POE AG meeting is planned for 6/11/2025, as an in-person session in Indianapolis. However, due to NGS's current travel restrictions, it may be converted to a virtual meeting. Additional details will be provided as the date approaches.

Meeting adjourned

Posted 4/1/2025