Hospice payments get a boring technical fix—yawn.
Published Date: 9/30/2026
Rule
Summary
This correction fixes some technical mistakes in the FY 2027 hospice payment and wage index rules that were first published in August 2026. It mainly affects hospice providers by updating how their payments are calculated, making sure the numbers are accurate starting October 1, 2026. These changes help ensure hospices get the right payment amounts based on the latest hospital wage data.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Hospice payment rates recalculated
CMS recalculated the FY2027 hospice wage index and national hospice payment rates effective October 1, 2026, to correct a technical error. Examples of the updated FY2027 rates are: Routine Home Care (days 1-60) $236.33 and (days 61+) $186.33; Continuous Home Care $1,726.16 (full 24-hour rate; $71.92 per hour); Inpatient Respite $545.93; General Inpatient $1,231.51.
Lower rates if quality data not submitted
Hospices that DO NOT submit the required quality data get reduced FY2027 rates (a 0.983 factor resulting from "2.3% - 4 percentage points = -1.7%"). Examples: Routine Home Care (days 1-60) $227.09 and (days 61+) $179.04; Continuous Home Care $1,658.66 (full 24-hour rate; $69.11 per hour); Inpatient Respite $524.58; General Inpatient $1,183.35.
Updated impact analysis and a corrected percentage
CMS republished the FY2027 impact analysis (Table 22) showing updated payment impacts for hospices (Table 22 lists "All Hospices" FY2027 updated payment = 2.3%). Separately, the document corrects a text figure on page 49175 changing "2.3 percent" to "2.2 percent." These corrections accompany the republished wage index file on the CMS website.
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