Two user guides have been added to the CMS website. User guides for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (data collection October 1 – December 31, 2012 and data submission January 1 - April 1, 2013) are now available.  CMS encourages providers to prepare for data collection and submission by downloading and reading the guides. These guides are:

• User Guide for Hospice Quality Reporting Data Collection. This user guide will instruct hospice providers on data collection processes for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Data collection activities for the first year of the HQRP will take place October 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012.
• Technical User Guide for Hospice Quality Reporting Data Entry and Submission. This user guide will instruct hospice providers on data submission processes and provide details about the data entry website for the HQRP. Data Submission activities for the first year of the HQRP will take place January 1 – April 1, 2013.

Please note that the data entry site is not yet available for provider use; the site is scheduled to go live January 1, 2013.