CMS Releases Hospice PEPPER (June 3, 2026)
June 3, 2026
On June 3, 2026, CMS released the link to the newly revised Hospice Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER), which was taken down in 2023.
The (PEPPER) is a Microsoft Excel file summarizing three years of provider-specific Medicare data statistics for target areas often associated with Medicare improper payments. The PEPPER released on June 3, 2026 covers FY 2023 through FY 2025.
The Hospice PEPPER will compare the data from an individual hospice with other hospices in the nation, the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) jurisdiction and the state. The PEPPER can be used to identify data trends, pinpoint areas for auditing and monitoring and identifying potential problems with improper payments. When the transition to the new PEPPER is completed, every provider type will have a PEPPER. CMS stated that the Home Health PEPPER is scheduled to be released in August 2026.
CMS has identified and approved 15 target areas after “national hospice claim data was analyzed to identify areas within the hospice benefit that may be at risk for improper Medicare payments. These areas are referred to as target areas.” The Hospice PEPPER Guide has information on the target areas, including numerator and denominator and descriptions of each measure.
A hospice must register to become a Staff End User (SEU), logging in the CMS I&A system using your existing PPES or PECOS credentials. Details about the registration process can be found in the Regulatory Alert. The PEPPER contractor has also posted step-by-step instructions in the I&A Quick Reference Guide and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Download my June 3 Hospice Regulatory Alert on the CMS PEPPER Release