Medicare and Medicaid programs; requirements for long-term care facilities; hospice services. Final rule.

This final rule will revise the requirements that an institution will have to meet in order to qualify to participate as a skilled nursing facility (SNF) in the Medicare program, or as a nursing facility (NF) in the Medicaid program. These requirements will ensure that long-term care (LTC) facilities (that is, SNFs and NFs) that choose to arrange for the provision of hospice care through an agreement with one or more Medicare-certified hospice providers will have in place a written agreement with the hospice that specifies the roles and responsibilities of each entity. This final rule reflects the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS') commitment to the principles of the President's Executive Order 13563, released on January 18, 2011, titled "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.'' It will improve quality and consistency of care between hospices and LTC facilities in the provision of hospice care to LTC residents.