BALTIMORE, MD (Home Care Wire) Hospices have gotten a breather on new claims data requirements.

After bitter complaints from providers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has “temporarily” suspended reporting of visits by non-hospice staff in general inpatient settings, the agency says in April 29 Transmittal No. 1494 (CR 5567).

“All other visit reporting requirements … remain unchanged,” CMS says in the transmittal.

The missive also contains new details for how to report visits. “CMS has removed the words ‘medically’ and ‘direct’ from the reasonable and necessary patient visit description of a hospice visit,” cheers the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. That should make defining a visit easier.

Reminder: Reporting hospice visit data is optional until July 1.

The transmittal is at www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R1494CP.pdf.