Proposed 2026 Codes + Hospice & Medicare Claims: What’s Changing?

On this episode, the panel gives a coding update, including hospice invalid principal diagnosis codes list update, a CMS update to Medicare claims, and the answer to the March coding scenario.

This month's panel includes:
✅ Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC
✅ Nanette Minton, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Coding Manager, MAC Legacy

Links Mentioned in the Episode⁠
Principal Diagnosis Code Reporting Update for Hospice and Manual Updates to Sections 30.3, 40.2, and 50 of Chapter 11 of the Claims Processing Manual: Processing Hospice Claims⁠: https://www.hhs.gov/guidance/document....

AHCC member-only Webinar, on coding and OASIS issues you need to know, happening May 15 from 1-2 pm ET: https://register.gotowebinar.com/regi...

Chapters
1:15 Hospice invalid principal diagnosis codes list updated
6:32 CMS pointed out hospice agencies must also follow ICD-10-CM coding conventions in the ICD-10-CM, Tabular List, Alphabetic Index, and official coding guidelines
9:19 CMS updated Medicare Claims, Processing Manual, Chapter 11
11:22 Processing hospice claims - principal diagnosis code reporting update: Medicare claims processing manual, chapter 11, sections 30.3, 40.2 and 50
11:48 Coordination and maintenance committee
14:58 Proposed new codes for 2026
18:50 March OASIS practice scenario answer
20:59 March OASIS practice scenario rationale
22:37 April coding practice scenario
24:00 What’s new with AHCC: AHCC Member's Webinar on May 15, 2025