On October 1, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool. HOPE will replace the Hospice Item Set (HIS) and introduce a structured, comprehensive framework for collecting data. As a result, it creates a major shift in how hospices can document, track, and improve patient care.
If your agency hasn’t started preparing for HOPE, now is the time. Don’t be intimidated by the changes–they’re far easier to manage before HOPE takes effect than after it’s implemented.
“Everybody’s heard about HOPE, and everybody’s kind of scared about it,” says Deanna Heath, RN, the SVP of Customer Experience at KanTime. “But exposing people to this information now will make it much less of a burden when it happens.
Below, we recap key insights from Deanna as well as the essential facts hospices need to know to prepare for a smooth, compliant transition to HOPE.
Get to Know the HOPE Assessment Tool HOPE is a patient-level data collection instrument that’s designed to capture a more complete picture of hospice care quality. Unlike its predecessor, HIS, which only collected data at admission and discharge, HOPE requires multiple data collection points throughout the course of a patient’s stay. More specifically, HOPE data must be submitted at four timepoints:
- Admission assessment (RN-only)
- HOPE Update Visit (HUV) #1 – Days 6-15 (RN-only)
- HOPE Update Visit (HUV) #2 – Days 16-30 (RN-only)
- Discharge assessment
Certain patient responses during these visits–for example, reporting moderate or severe pain–will trigger a Symptom Follow-Up Visit (SFV) within two days.
The goal is to provide CMS and hospices with more frequent, consistent, and comprehensive quality measures. More, better data should ideally enable better care planning, symptom management, and outcome tracking.
On the surface, HOPE may seem to offer more challenges than positive changes. However, when HOPE takes effect, the benefits to hospices and their patients will be significant.
Plus, as Deanna explains, “[HOPE’s requirements are] not really things you shouldn’t already be asking… It’s just putting it into a format where you assess it more rigorously.”
KanTime’s Three Phases of HOPE Preparation
Hospices need a strategic approach to preparing to transition from HIS to HOPE by the time it takes effect on October 1. That’s why leaders at KanTime, the industry leader in home health and hospice EHR, developed a three-phase approach to ensure readiness:
- Ready: Foundation and initial planning
- Set: Implementation and process optimization
- HOPE: Full implementation and continuous improvement
Let’s take a closer look at what hospices should prioritize and achieve during each stage of HOPE preparation.
1. “Ready” – Foundation and Initial Planning (Spring-Summer 2025)
Before focusing on what HOPE will change, Deanna first recommends zooming in on your existing processes and securing buy-in. “You’ve got to get leadership to buy in to ensure that you have full organizational support, including resources and time allocation.”
And, because HOPE means a huge change for hospice clinicians, Deanna notes, leadership should anticipate that “there will need to be intense training.”
Tips for Phase One:
- Assess current processes for data collection, assessments, and reporting
- Confirm your EMR vendor is preparing for HOPE updates
- Secure leadership and clinical staff buy-in and communicate why HOPE matters
- Begin introducing HOPE concepts to staff
- Schedule in-depth training sessions for field and office staff
Type: “This is a huge change for your hospice clinicians… leadership has to understand there will need to be some intense training.”
2. “Set” – Implementation and Process Optimization (July-September 2025)
The next step of preparation involves beginning a more formalized process for putting HOPE into action. Deanna explains that hospices don’t have to wait until HOPE takes effect to start practicing it: “If your nurses are not asking some of these questions, go ahead and let them start asking them.”
Tips for Phase Two:
- Align documentation and assessment tools with HOPE requirements
- Implement and test technology updates in your EMR
- Deliver hands-on training for all HOPE data entry and compliance processes
- Refine workflows to ensure timely symptom follow-up
3. “HOPE” – Full Implementation and Continuous Improvement (October 1, 2025)
After all of your training and preparation, HOPE begins on October 1. Hospices should ensure that all staff are utilizing the new tools and procedures as standard practice.
Tips for Phase Three:
- Launch HOPE as standard practice for all patients
- Monitor data submission timeliness and accuracy
- Review and adjust workflows based on feedback from field and office staff
- Continue staff education and track CMS updates post-October 1
What to Do Now
If your agency hasn’t started preparing for HOPE, you may already be behind–but you can still get on track. Here are some quick pointers to help streamline the process:
- Educate & train staff – Focus on visit timepoints, data requirements, and how HOPE differs from HIS.
- Evaluate quality measures – Identify performance gaps in your current system before HOPE goes live.
- Strengthen tracking systems – Build processes to avoid missed assessments or late data submissions.
- Plan for staffing needs – Anticipate how HOPE’s extra touchpoints and documentation requirements will impact caseloads.
- Coordinate with your EMR vendor – Ensure your system supports all HOPE fields and workflows.
Your Next Steps
Transitioning from HIS to HOPE will be far more than just a compliance exercise. It will also be an opportunity to improve patient care and strengthen quality reporting.
But to maximize its benefits and minimize its trade-offs, HOPE requires action now. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help hospices answer questions and understand which steps to take next.
KanTime offers weekly webinars, expert guidance, and software tools designed with compliance at the core so that you can move into October confident and ready.
Want to learn more about what you need to do to get ready for HOPE?
To hear more from Deanna, watch the On-Demand Webinar to get the rundown, in full detail, about how to prepare using KanTime’s “Ready, Set, HOPE” approach.
Download our “Ready, Set, HOPE” Whitepaper for a comprehensive preparation checklist and planning guide you can take with you to discussions with staff and key stakeholders.
