This final rule makes changes to the hospice CoPs regarding hospice aide competency evaluation standards. In response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), CMS issued a number of regulatory waivers in order to support providers and suppliers involved in patient care. These waivers promoted greater flexibility and reduced burden, allowing hospices to focus on delivering improved patient care during the COVID-19 PHE. CMS is finalizing the use of the pseudo-patient for hospice aide competency training.
As a complementary change, CMS is also finalizing a policy that requires hospices to conduct a competency evaluation related to the deficient and related skill(s) noted during a hospice aide supervisory visit. This change will allow the hospice to focus on the hospice aides’ specific deficient and related skill(s) instead of assessing multiple areas within the competency evaluation. This will allow existing aides to be re-trained more quickly in order to return to the workforce to provide high quality patient care.