Hospice Public Reporting: Background and Announcements

About this Page

This page provides an overview of public reporting, Care Compare, and some general resources for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP).

Public Availability of Reported Data

Publicly reporting hospice quality data fulfills the HQRP mandate, as directed in section 1814(i)(5) of the Social Security Act. Care Compare on Medicare.gov is the official Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website for publicly reporting quality measures for care provided by hospices and other healthcare providers. The quality measures displayed are based on the Hospice Item Set (HIS), Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS®) Hospice Survey data, and administrative data (Medicare claims). You can search and download the publicly reported data displayed on Care Compare on the Provider Data Catalog on CMS.gov.

Care Compare

Care Compare provides a single user-friendly interface that patients and caregivers can use to make informed healthcare decisions based on data, such as cost, quality of care, the volume of services, and caregiver feedback, including the willingness to recommend a hospice. This site, which replaced the original Hospice Compare in 2020, was created to help consumers compare hospice providers’ performance and assist consumers in making decisions that are right for them. Providers with data on Care Compare can start a conversation with their patients and family members:

• Explaining that Care Compare provides a snapshot of the quality of care a hospice offers,
• Encouraging patients and their family members to review quality ratings, and
• Helping to strengthen patients’ and family members’ ability to make the best decisions for their care.

For the HQRP quality measures reported on Care Compare, visit the Current Measures page. Care Compare also posts data on the characteristics of Medicare hospice organizations from the Hospice Provider Utilization and Payment Public Use File (PUF) and the Post-Acute Care (PAC) PUF. By providing these data in a user-friendly way on Care Compare, consumers can use this information, along with the quality measure data when selecting a hospice.

Updates

May 21, 2025

Hospice Preview Reports for the August 2025 Refresh – NOW AVAILABLE IN QIES

Providers can now access the latest Provider Preview Reports via the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) application. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the August 2025 refresh.

In the Provider Preview Reports, HIS measure scores are based on HIS data submitted by hospices from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2024. CAHPS measure scores are based on CAHPS data submitted from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2024. CAHPS Star Ratings are calculated based on data from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2024. The claims-based measures reflect claims data collected from Quarter 1, 2022 through Quarter 4, 2023. 

Once released in CASPER, providers will have 30 days during which to review their quality measure results. The preview period for the latest Provider Preview Report lasts from May 21, 2025 to June 20, 2025. Although the actual “preview period” is 30 days, the reports will continue to be available for another 30 days, or a total of 60 days. CMS encourages providers to download and save their Hospice Provider Preview Reports for future reference, as they will no longer be available in CASPER after this 60-day period.  

Learn more about the Provider Preview Report (HIS and Claims-based measures) here and about the CAHPS Preview Report here. Hospice QRP Key Dates for Providers can be found here. The 3^rd Edition HQRP Public Reporting Tip Sheet is available here (PDF).

May 21, 2025

HQRP Public Reporting Quarterly Refresh – May 2025

The May 2025 quarterly refresh for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program is now available on the Compare tool on Medicare.gov.

In this refresh, HIS measure scores are based on HIS data submitted by hospices from Quarter 3, 2023 through Quarter 2, 2024. CAHPS measure scores are based on CAHPS data submitted from Quarter 3, 2022 through Quarter 2, 2024. CAHPS Star Ratings are calculated based on data from Quarter 2, 2022 through Quarter 1, 2024. The claims-based measures reflect claims data collected from Quarter 1, 2022 through Quarter 4, 2023. 

For additional information, please see the FY2025 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule at https://www.cms.gov/Center/Provider-Type/Hospice-Center.

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