Hospice · Tracker
Election & Benefit Period Tracker
From a hospice election date, lay out the benefit periods — two 90-day periods, then unlimited 60-day periods — with recertification and the physician/NP face-to-face encounter windows.
Data statusReference Only
- Status
- Reference Only
- Data year / effective
- Current policy
- Last reviewed
- June 2026
- Last updated
- June 2026
- Primary source
- CMS Medicare Benefit Policy Manual (Pub. 100-02), ch. 9
- Known exclusions
- Policy reference — dates depend on the patient's election history
- Payer-specific documentation rules vary
Published reference for the stated period — confirm the current figure and any corrections at the source before billing.
Election date
Periods to show
Recertification of terminal illness is required at the start of every benefit period. A face-to-face encounter by a hospice physician or nurse practitioner is required before the third benefit period and every period after — no more than 30 calendar days before the period begins.
Benefit periods
Pick an election date to generate the schedule.
Periods: 90 + 90 days, then 60-day periods. Face-to-face windows shown for the 3rd period onward. Confirm against the certification of terminal illness requirements at 42 CFR 418.21–418.22.
