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On October 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially implements a massive shift in federal oversight under the FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update Final Rule (CMS-1851-F). Driven by data showing significant increases in uncoordinated non-hospice spending, CMS is holding providers directly responsible for the full, holistic scope of end-of-life care. With brand-new mandatory conditions of payment, the public rollout of the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI), and high-stakes clinical synthesis rules, agencies must adapt immediately or face devastating financial penalties and public non-compliance status.

To help your agency survive and thrive under this new era of federal scrutiny, we are launching an intensive, 3-part webinar series designed to protect your revenue, arm your clinicians, and secure your front-end billing gates. Each session spans 2 hours and concludes with a lengthy, live Question and Answer session to solve your specific operational and clinical challenges.

Decoding the Countdown: Why 5-4-3-2-BOOM!?

We aren't just making noise—every step in our countdown forces your agency to transition from passive documentation to defensive, real-time action before the midnight deadline:

· 5 — The Mandatory Notice of Non-Coverage Addendum: Shifting from an optional "upon request" form to an absolute condition of payment under 42 CFR § 418.24(b)(6). Learn the strict front-end workflows required to deliver, update, and secure signatures for unrelated items, drugs, and services within mandatory 5-day and 3-day windows without risking total claim denials.

· 4 — Clinical Synthesis & The True Hospice Mindset: Moving past basic diagnostic checklists. We break down the absolute rules for MD, NP, and RN collaboration to actively execute "Active Impact Screening" and incorporate complex comorbidities into an audit-ready, forward-looking narrative for the Certification of Terminal Illness (CTI).

· 3 — The SSVI Public Scorecard & Real-Time Tracking: Unlocking the 16-point claims-based matrix CMS is using to score your agency’s utilization shapes. Learn how to locate your score in the public domain, understand the 8 care utilization penalty metrics, and evaluate how your agency stacks up against national benchmarks.

· 2 — Eradicating Outside Non-Hospice Spending Leaks: Establishing tight electronic and manual gatekeeping channels with pharmacies, hospitals, and vendors. Discover how to execute retail pharmacy blocks and hospital liaison cross-matching to insulate your agency from the retrospective $538,406 maximum spending penalty ceiling.

· BOOM! — Defending Concurrent Audits & Multi-Contractor Pipelines: Crossing regulatory tripwires instantly exposes your agency to concurrent auditing pipelines. Under the new framework, a single hospice can be forced to simultaneously defend historical

claims across three separate, uncoordinated auditing architectures. Learn how to survive local pre-payment/post-payment Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) rounds from your local MAC, region-wide fraud pattern-matching from Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs), and massive retrospective data extrapolations from national Supplemental Medical Review Contractors (SMRCs).

Webinar 1: The New Era of Admission & Clinical Synthesis

Focus: Chapters 1, 2, and 3 | Duration: 2 Hours (Includes Live Q&A)

October 1, 2026, marks the end of business-as-usual for hospice admissions, intake, and charting. This session tackles the high-risk "relatedness" workflows that auditors are targeting and establishes the operational baseline for your clinical team.

Key Takeaways:

· The FY 2027 Regulatory Baselines: Analysis of 91 FR 49118, including statutory base rate updates, aggregate cap limits, and the operational realities of the new rule.

· The Mandated Election Statement Addendum: Workflows to master the strict 5-day initial admission clock and 3-day plan-of-care update windows to prevent technical payment denials.

· The Intake and Bedside Verification Loop: Step-by-step processes for securing 30-day History & Physical (H&P) records and executing compliant in-home medication reconciliations.

· Aggressive Clinical Linking for MDs & NPs: Shifting documentation from static diagnostic checklists to audit-ready "Active Impact Screening" that proves a 6-month terminal trajectory.

· The "Trap Words" Warning Index: How to permanently purge dangerous, audit-triggering words like 'stable', 'independent', and 'improving' from daily narratives.

Webinar 2: Cracking the Code of the SSVI Scorecard

Focus: Chapter 4 | Duration: 2 Hours (Includes Live Q&A)

CMS is now scoring your hospice on a 0-to-16 point scale, and the data is public. This session pulls back the curtain on how CMS aggregates your outside spending data and details how to implement manual and electronic gatekeeping to defend your daily per diem.

Key Takeaways:

· Demystifying the 16-Point Framework: A deep-dive breakdown of Domain A (Outside Part B and Part D spending) and Domain B (the 8 claims-based Care Utilization metrics).

· The National 8-Octile Scoring Matrix: Understanding how CMS ranks your agency against national spending trends, the 12-month claims lag, and how the $538,406 ceiling triggers maximum points.

· Locating Your Score in the Public Domain: Step-by-step instructions on accessing your agency’s individual facility scores and profiles via the CMS Hospice Center webpage.

· SSVI vs. PEPPER vs. Quality Measure Reports: Clear, direct comparisons of your data streams so leadership knows exactly which reports are confidential and which trigger automated audits.

· Administrative Guardrails: Practical administrative, clinical, and billing workflows to track, adjust, and audit parallel medical expenditures before they impact your risk profile.

Webinar 3: Technology Mandates, Claim Validation Gates & Survival of Concurrent Audits

Focus: Chapters 5, 6, 7, and Chapter 8 | Duration: 2 Hours (Includes Live Q&A)

Failing to submit quality data correctly under the new rule triggers an immediate net payment reduction of -1.7% and a public warning icon. Simultaneously, failing an automated data filter can plunge your revenue cycle into a multi-front audit war. This final session addresses the tech rules governing telehealth, mandatory HOPE tool milestones, front-end clearinghouse gates, and the operational strategy required to survive concurrent federal audits.

Key Takeaways:

· Telehealth F2F Rules & The New G-Code: How to properly use HCPCS code G0679 and modifier 95, while strictly enforcing geographic moratoria bans to avoid immediate claim denials.

· The HOPE Tool Mandate & iQIES Architecture: Transitioning entirely from legacy systems to manage the 4 required patient timepoints (Admission, HUV 1, HUV 2, and Discharge) across all payers.

· Securing the 90% Timeliness Threshold: Setting up a strict 7-to-14 day internal transmission goal to safely clear iQIES background validation checkpoints within the federal 30-day limit.

· Front-End Billing Gates and Error Resolution: Implementing a pre-claim validation checklist (Addendum matching, iQIES token reconciliation, and CTI validation) to prevent coding mismatches and claim returns.

· Surviving the Three-Contractor Waterfall: Understanding how one failed technical TPE round with your local MAC (e.g., Palmetto GBA) can trigger a payment freeze and targeted post-payment audit from a regional UPIC (e.g., Qlarant) or an extended length-of-stay review from an SMRC (e.g., Noridian).

· The Step-by-Step ADR Response Blueprint: Establishing an airtight, rapid-response internal protocol—from instantaneous claim pausing and technical detail audits to bundling data packets chronologically and managing secure esMD electronic submissions.

Registration Note: While this masterclass masterfully tracks the official operational guidelines, the comprehensive "Navigating the FY 2027 Hospice Final Rule Reference Manual" (including the fully expanded Chapter 8: Regulatory and Reimbursement Audits) will be introduced as a

separate, essential item for purchase during the series to anchor your ongoing agency training and compliance protocols.