HOPE, the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation, is the standardized patient assessment CMS requires hospices to complete, replacing the Hospice Item Set (HIS) effective October 1, 2025. Unlike HIS, which was largely a chart-abstraction tool completed after the fact, HOPE is built around real-time clinical assessment at specific timepoints during a hospice stay - which makes how and when it gets documented far more important.
What Is HOPE, in Plain English?
HOPE is a set of standardized assessment items hospices complete at admission, during the stay, and at discharge, and submit to CMS for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). It captures symptoms, pain, spiritual and psychosocial concerns, and care preferences in a consistent structure so quality can be measured across hospices.
When Is HOPE Completed?
HOPE is organized around defined timepoints rather than a single form:
Why HOPE Changes Documentation Workflow
Because HOPE asks for assessment data gathered during visits, gaps are harder to fix after the fact. A symptom that was discussed but never documented, or a follow-up visit that happened outside its window, can't simply be abstracted from the chart later. That puts more weight on capturing the right detail during the visit itself.
Where Ambient AI Helps
HOPE requirements are defined by CMS and updated periodically. Hospices should confirm current item sets, timepoints and submission deadlines directly against CMS HQRP guidance.
Frequently asked questions
What does HOPE stand for?+
HOPE stands for Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation. It's the standardized patient assessment CMS requires hospices to complete for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
When did HOPE replace the Hospice Item Set?+
HOPE replaced the Hospice Item Set (HIS) effective October 1, 2025.
Does AI complete the HOPE assessment on its own?+
No. AI can draft HOPE responses from what was captured during a visit, but a clinician reviews, edits and signs the assessment before it's finalized.