ASK ALECC FAQ Newsletter
Featured Newsletter
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February 27, 2025
ASK ALECC Topic:
“Where do we begin with the HOPE Tool?”
You are in luck, as ALECC has produced a HOPE Tool Bundle Series to help your agencies begin the education process as we prepare to move from HIS to HOPE on Oct. 1, 2025. We have broken down the HOPE Guidance Manual v1.00 into simplified presentations to help you educate and prepare your Hospice Agency team better. CMS considers it the responsibility of Hospice providers to accurately and completely fill out and submit the HOPE Timepoints, which we take you through in the series. Below is an outline of the series offered. I recommend starting with the Hospice Item Set (HIS) Version(v)3.00 to Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) v1.00 Item Set Change Table Effective October 1, 2025, or Part 4 in our series. We have labeled that HOPE vs HIS. This is a great way to introduce HOPE to your staff during IDT and to get the ball rolling on education.
Please feel free to join our YouTube channel as we will continue to offer tidbits of education on Hospice and the HOPE Tool.
HOPE Tool Bundle Series
The HOPE Tool will replace HIS effective October 1, 2025. The HOPE Tool requirement is designed to collect patient specific data in real-time based on interactions with patient and family/caregiver, and with flexibility to accommodate patients with varying clinical needs.
This bundled series is designed to help Hospice providers better understand the HOPE tool submission requirement. This includes required timepoints and submission timeframes including dataset items for accurate completion. CMS considers it the responsibility of the Hospice provider to complete the HOPE Tool accurately and completely. The HOPE Tool Bundle Series is designed to help Hospice providers meet that goal.
The series is broken into 5 parts. They are defined as follows:
Part 1: HOPE Tool Part 1
Data Collection Timepoints, Timeframes & HQRP
- Review Data Collection Timepoint Definitions, Timeframes and Submission Requirements
- Who Must Complete the HOPE Tool
- General Conventions for Completing HOPE
- HQRP Compliance
Part 2: HOPE Tool Part 2
Item Specific Instructions: Section A: Administrative & Section F: Preferences
- Review of Section A – Administrative including an in-depth review of new data elements “items” added to Section A that are different from HIS.
- Review of Section F
- Review includes item display, timepoint(s) completed, item specific instructions, coding tips and specific examples for data elements collected to better assist with accurate coding of the HOPE tool.
Part 3: HOPE Tool Part 3
Item Specific Instructions Section I-Z
- Review Section I: Active Diagnosis – many new changes and new items compared to HIS review for accurate completion!!
- Review Section J: Health Conditions – new items!!
- Review Section M: Skin Conditions (New Section **)
- Review Section N: Medications
- Review Section Z: Record Administration
- Review includes item display, timepoint(s) completed, item specific instructions, coding tips and specific examples for data elements collected to better assist with accurate coding of the HOPE tool.
HOPE vs HIS (Part 4)
A review of the HIS to HOPE Item Set Change Table
- Review the changes from HIS to HOPE to assist your staff with understanding the upcoming changes in preparation for the HOPE Tool.
- Quick and easy webinar to present to staff.
- Excellent tool for education and training on HOPE preparation and what to expect. Present this to staff first in a staff meeting or IDG in anticipation of HOPE Tool education. Begin educating staff in steps starting with this PowerPoint.
Hope Submission Process (Part 5)
A review of the requirements on how to submit all HOPE timepoints.
- Review of HOPE submission deadline requirements.
- CMS Compliance recommendations.
- HOPE Completion and Submission Timing Examples
- HOPE Submission Process including Final Validation Reports
And please take advantage of our introductory special. Now through March 16th, we are offering a 10% discount for $445.50 (reg. $495). We certainly “hope” this helps you.
COUPON CODE: HOPE10
You will be required to sign in to your free account on https://alecc.com/.
Add the course to your cart. Enter the coupon code. The course will be added to your dashboard.
Thank you again for all of the great work that you do each and every day.
~ Kathy Ahearn
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