Why the HOPE Tool Matters

In hospice, accuracy and tact are both foremost among priorities, and patient need instruments can make a considerable difference in quality of life for the days remaining. Among required advances is the HOPE Tool —a standard assessment tool created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of a greater initiative to continue to enhance documentation and delivery of hospice. Used as part of CMS's overall approach to enhancing end-of-life care, the HOPE Tool is not a legalistic compliance regulation—it's the beginning of more individualised, data-infused practice in hospice care. It's designed to allow hospice providers to have clear information about patient status at the beginning and during hospice care so that more individualised, compassionate, and clinically informed decision-making can take place.