Hospice

Provider Communications

View news, information letters (ILs) and provider letters (PLs).

Don't Miss Out on Emails from HHS

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission contracts with a company called Granicus to provide email updates, called GovDelivery. In accordance with your contract, and contracting rules at 40 Texas Administrative Code §49.302(g), you must subscribe to receive HHSC email updates, using this GovDelivery signup, and select Information Letters, Provider Alerts and the contract program type(s).

When you sign up for email updates, you are giving your information to both HHSC and to Granicus. When HHSC has your information, it is subject to the HHSC privacy policy. When Granicus has your information, it is subject to the Granicus GovDelivery privacy policy.

Resources

Contact Program Staff

How to Become a Provider

Hospice providers must be licensed as a Home and Community Support Services Agency and have a contract with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to provide Medicaid hospice services. Rules regarding minimum licensing standards for a HCSSA can be found in Title 26 of the Texas Administrative Code as follows:

For more information about the HHSC provider enrollment process and requirements, please click here.

Open Enrollment Process

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission accepts applications through its open enrollment process to contract for the Hospice Medicaid program. Under the open enrollment process, HHSC awards contracts on a noncompetitive basis to eligible applicants meeting the qualifications and other requirements.

Applications for Hospice can be submitted year-round with no deadline. Hospice program provider applicants must complete the application packet and include all required documents in accordance with HHSC instructions.

Contracting to Provide Services

To be eligible to provide services and receive reimbursement for these services, a provider agency must meet certain eligibility criteria. Rules regarding program and contracting requirements can be found in Title 40 of the Texas Administrative Code as follows:

For more information about the HHSC provider enrollment process and requirements, please click here.

An individual or provider agency must complete an application to provide services in the Community Services programs. Once you have met the minimum eligibility criteria, you may review the required application documents at:

The forms may be downloaded for completion. Completed forms and any additional required information should be mailed to:

Regular mail

Texas Health and Human Services Commission 
Contract Administration and Provider Monitoring - Waiver Program Enrollments 
Mail CodeW-359 
P.O. Box 149030 
Austin, TX 78714-9030

Overnight/Express delivery 
Texas Health and Human Services Commission 
Contract Administration and Provider Monitoring - Waiver Program Enrollments 
Mail Code W-359 
701 West 51st St. 
Austin, TX 78751

Should you have any questions regarding the enrollment process for these programs, contact Contract Administration and Provider Monitoring - Waiver Program Enrollments at 512-438-3234.

Regulatory Comment Card Survey

Please click here to take a short survey about the recent visit to your facility by Texas Health and Human Services Regulatory Services.

Seeking an Initial Parent or Alternate Delivery Site License?

Applicants seeking an initial parent or alternate delivery site license to provide licensed and certified hospice services (authorization to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries) should read Provider Letter 15-10, Direction from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Prioritization of Initial Medicare Certification Surveys (PDF).

Statutes and Rules

State

Federal

Other Rules and Statutes

Communications

Information & Provider Letters

Case-sensitive. Use commas to separate multiple entries.
Note: These files are in PDF format unless otherwise noted.
Number Title/Notes Date Published
IL 2023-02 Payment Rates for Medicaid Community Hospice Effective retroactively to October 1, 2022
PL 2022-32 Blackboard Connect Emergency Communication System
IL 2022-43 Fiscal Year 2022 Cutoff Date for Year-end Closeout Processing
PL 2022-18 New Regional Boundaries for Long-term Care Providers

Note: updated to PL 2022-18
PL 2022-15 Offsite Review Responsibility Requirements
IL 2022-31 Preparing for the upcoming Fiscal year 2022 Fee-for-Service Claims Billing Closeout
PL 2022-08 Mitigation of Staffing Shortages
IL 2022-03 Payment Rates for Medicaid Community Hospice
IL 2021-48 Acceptable Documentation for a Criminal History Check

Note: Revised November 10, 2021
IL 2021-43 Update to Information Letter No. IL 20-37 Telemedicine Flexibility for Face-to-Face Reassessments