{"abstract":"This final rule updates the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. This rule also finalizes changes to the admission to hospice regulations and the hospice face-to-face attestation requirements under the certification of terminal illness regulations and includes technical changes to the hospice telehealth policy and wage index. This final rule also includes a technical correction to the regulatory text and provides updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program requirements.","action":"Final rule.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","name":"Health and Human Services Department","id":221,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/health-and-human-services-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/221","parent_id":null,"slug":"health-and-human-services-department"},{"raw_name":"Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services","name":"Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services","id":45,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/centers-for-medicare-medicaid-services","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/45","parent_id":221,"slug":"centers-for-medicare-medicaid-services"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2025/08/05/2025-14782.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":"418","title":42}],"citation":"90 FR 37404","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"These regulations are effective on October 1, 2025.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["CMS-1835-F"],"dockets":[{"supporting_documents":[],"agency_name":"CMS","documents":[{"comment_count":0,"comment_start_date":"2025-08-05","updated_at":"2025-08-05T14:56:22.995-04:00","comment_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/CMS-2025-0030-0066","allow_late_comments":false,"id":"CMS-2025-0030-0066","comment_end_date":null,"regulations_dot_gov_open_for_comment":false}],"supporting_documents_count":0,"id":"CMS-2025-0030","title":"FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements CMS-1835-P"}],"document_number":"2025-14782","effective_on":"2025-10-01","end_page":37431,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2025/08/05/2025-14782.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/05/2025-14782/medicare-program-fy-2026-hospice-wage-index-and-payment-rate-update-and-hospice-quality-reporting","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/2025-14782?publication_date=2025-08-05","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2025-08-05/2025-14782/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":28,"page_views":{"count":6740,"last_updated":"2026-09-21 16:15:06 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-08-05/pdf/2025-14782.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-14782.pdf?1754079306","publication_date":"2025-08-05","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2025/08/05/2025-14782.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"0938-AV49":{"issue":"202504","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/0938-AV49/fy-2026-hospice-wage-index-payment-rate-update-and-quality-reporting-requirements-cms-1835-","title":"FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index, Payment Rate Update, and Quality Reporting Requirements (CMS-1835)","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202504&RIN=0938-AV49&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Economically Significant"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["0938-AV49"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"supporting_documents":[],"regulatory_plan":{"html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/0938-AV49/fy-2026-hospice-wage-index-payment-rate-update-and-quality-reporting-requirements-cms-1835-","title":"FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index, Payment Rate Update, and Quality Reporting Requirements (CMS-1835)"},"comments_count":0,"agency_id":"CMS","comments_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=50&so=DESC&sb=postedDate&po=0&dct=PS&D=CMS-2025-0030","supporting_documents_count":0,"docket_id":"CMS-2025-0030","document_id":"CMS-2025-0030-0066","regulation_id_number":"0938-AV49","title":"FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements CMS-1835-P","checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2025-08-06T21:55:03Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":true,"signing_date":null,"start_page":37404,"subtype":null,"title":"Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements","toc_doc":"Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements","toc_subject":"Medicare Program","topics":["Health facilities","Medicare","Reporting and recordkeeping requirements"],"type":"Rule","volume":90}