The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is set to implement the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool on October 1, 2025, introducing substantial changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP)1 .
These changes are part of a broader effort to improve quality and accountability—but for providers, they add new layers of documentation and oversight.
The right tools can make a big difference.
What the 2025 Hospice Rule Includes
Key updates include:
- New quality reporting measures tied to patient-level HOPE data
- Data submission required for payment compliance
- Increased scrutiny of documentation accuracy and completeness
For hospice leaders, this means more documentation, stricter standards, and a greater risk of financial penalties.
The Documentation Burden Is Real
The transition to HOPE represents a significant shift toward more dynamic and patient-centered quality reporting. Hospices will need to adapt their workflows, train staff on the new assessment protocols, and ensure their documentation systems are equipped to handle real-time data collection and submission.
Under new expectations, clinicians must:
- Provide more detailed, structured narrative notes
- Align documentation with new HOPE domains
- Maintain accuracy under time pressure
Having these new expectations increases administrative burden and the chance of compliance errors—unless supported by the right technology.
“nVoq’s Note Assist evaluates critical content, which can speed up our auditing process significantly. The increase in information – from gathering additional details upfront to evaluating what’s been documented – leads to higher-quality documentation overall.”
How nVoq Supports Your Agency Through Change
At nVoq, we understand the challenges that come with regulatory shifts. Our innovation was built for documentation that meets CMS standards—without slowing teams down.
Note Assist helps documentation meet agency-specific requirements in real time, while supporting alignment with new HOPE data expectations.
Learn more about Note Assist: AI-Powered Analysis for Quality Documentation
Mobile Voice makes it easy for clinicians to narrate patient details accurately, naturally, and on the go—cutting down on back-end corrections.
When the rules change, nVoq helps your documentation rise to the occasion.
Stay Ahead with nVoq
As CMS's proposed changes take shape, it's crucial to equip your agency with the tools to adapt effectively. Join us for our upcoming webinar on May 14, “Innovating for Today and Tomorrow: Enhancing Clinical Workflows with nVoq’s AI-Powered Solutions”, where we'll dive deeper into how our solutions can support your agency through these transitions.
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1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2024). Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/hospice/hope