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Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
Plain English Summary
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated a record-keeping system used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that focuses on hospice care. This system, now called the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE), will collect real-time data during patient assessments to better understand their care needs. These changes aim to improve the quality of hospice care and support necessary reporting and research activities. Insurance agents should be aware of this updated system as it may affect how they assist clients in hospice care settings.
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In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is modifying an existing system of records maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), titled "Hospice Item Set (HIS) System," System No. 09-70-0548. The amended System of Records Notice (SORN) reflects changes to now include real time data collection at the time of patient assessments to improve the understanding of patient care needs and care coordination. CMS is also changing the name of the system of records to "Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE)" and making other modifications which are explained in the Supplementary Information section. The HOPE system collects standardized hospice patient data to measure and improve care quality, support regulatory and reporting requirements, and enable research and policy functions.