Hospice Care in Westchester & Putnam, Inc.

re: file code CMS-1548-P. Medicare Program; Proposed Hospice Wage Index for Fiscal Year 2009 I am writing this note to plead with you not to further decrease hospice rates. We are already providing services over and above the level of reimbursement that is presently provided to hospices in our daily rate. It is getting more difficult to obtain donations to help pay for this needed care. As of 7/1/08, hospice organizations, such as ours, are being asked to provide additional tracking mechanisms to show the quality of our care (QAPI) with no additional funding. This is a huge undertaking for small organizations and will be costly to implement and maintain. Thank you for your consideration! Rose M. Rosenberg, Vice President of Hospice Care