HOPE in Action Training
Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) Training
The Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool is now required for all Medicare-certified hospices, and accuracy isn’t optional—it’s essential. HOPE training equips your team with the knowledge and confidence to collect and code data correctly, reduce compliance risk, and strengthen quality scores that directly impact your agency’s reputation.
HOPE in Action training is ideal for agency-wide HOPE education, or for focused prep for the Certificate for HOPE Specialist-Clinical (CHS-C) Exam.
Expertise you can trust
OASIS Answers, Inc. (OAI) has been a trusted leader in provider training for patient assessment data collection since 1999. Our HOPE instructors bring deep insights, expertise, real-world examples, and a supportive approach to help you apply what you learn immediately.
HOPE in Action Training for Hospice Providers
HOPE in Action training focuses on the essential elements that drive HOPE accuracy, compliance, and confidence, including:
- HOPE conventions and special circumstances explained with real-world hospice applications
- Understanding the four HOPE assessment timepoints (Admission, Discharge, Follow-Up, and the new Hospice Update Visits – HUVs)
- How to meet CMS Symptom Follow-Up Visit (SFV) requirements with accuracy and consistency
- Detailed HOPE item coding guidance, with item-by-item education to strengthen accuracy
- Preparing for HOPE through case-based hospice scenarios that let you “show what you know” and apply guidance in practice
Learn the CMS Hospice HOPE tool on your schedule with our most flexible training option. This recorded, on-demand webinar makes preparing for HOPE simple, giving your team convenient access to item-by-item guidance, coding conventions, and assessment requirements—anytime, anywhere. Perfect for busy hospice providers who need efficient HOPE training without disrupting patient care.
Get the most interactive HOPE training experience with our in-person sessions. This format provides uninterrupted focus, hands-on practice with HOPE data collection, and the best opportunity to ask individual questions. In-person training ensures your hospice team builds confidence and accuracy in applying CMS HOPE requirements directly to real-world scenarios.
Our private HOPE training brings tailored education directly to your hospice. Designed to meet CMS HOPE data collection expectations while aligning with your agency’s policies and EMR processes, this training creates a customized roadmap for success. Private sessions are ideal for agencies preparing for HOPE implementation who want training that fits their unique workflows and compliance needs.
Join a live virtual HOPE training led by experts who break down key guidance, conventions, and item-level instructions for accurate HOPE data collection and auditing. The Live Webinar Bundle also includes a CHS-C Exam Prep Kit—complete with the HOPE in Action handout, INSTANT HOPE Answers Book, and sticky tabs—giving you the tools to prepare for both HOPE implementation and certification in one package.
Meet the Presenters
Linda
Krulish
OASIS Answers, Inc.
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PT MHS COS-C CHS-C
Linda is a physical therapist with a Masters in Health Sciences. She has worked in the home health industry since 1988, is a nationally recognized expert on OASIS, the Hospice Item Set and quality measurement and improvement. She also serves the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors, assisting in home health and hospice quality measures development, data set refinement, and maintenance and updating of Guidance Manuals and other key provider education resources for the Hospice Item Set and OASIS. She provides oversight and subject matter expertise to manage contracts for CMS’s Home Health Quality Reporting Program, CMS’s Hospice Quality Reporting Program, and the CMS Home Health Value Based Purchasing Technical Assistance Contract. She served as the President and a Founding Member of the OASIS Certificate and Competency Board (OCCB), and continues to oversee the COS-C Exam as Chair of the Exam Review Task Force. Linda is President and Founder of OASIS Answers, Inc.
Kerry
Termine
OASIS Answers, Inc.
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DPT BCHH-C COS-C CHS-C
Kerry is a physical therapist with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She has worked in the home health industry since 2007, as a field clinician, as well as in roles supporting coding and documentation for compliance and quality. She has over 15 years of experience conducting detailed reviews of clinical documentation for home health and hospice providers, focusing on OASIS and diagnosis coding accuracy, as well as regulatory compliance and documentation to support Medicare coverage. Kerry is a certified coder. Kerry currently supports OAI’s CMS contract teams’ post-acute care work with public reporting, quality measure reports, guidance manual work and CMS help desk support, as well as serving as a member of OAI’s Blueprint Presenter Team. She holds the Certificate for OASIS Specialist-Clinical (COS-C) designation and is a Senior Clinical Lead with OASIS Answers, Inc.
Melanie
Wascom
OASIS Answers, Inc.
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MHA, BS, BSN, RN, HCS-D, COS-C, CHPN, CHS-C
Melanie is a registered nurse with over 23 years of experience in the post-surgical setting, home health and hospice. She is experienced and active in managing clinical compliance auditing teams for multiple agency sites to ensure regulatory and billing compliance for home health and hospice. She serves on the national Advisory Committee for Post Acute Care Measure Review and on the Alliance for Home Care’s Home Health and Hospice Advisory Councils. Melanie is an Associate Consultant with OASIS Answers.
Heather
Thompson
OASIS Answers, Inc.
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LMSW, CPHQ, CPXP
Heather is a Licensed Master Social Worker with 25 years of clinical and administrative hospice experience. For over 12 years, she led the national Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program for 100+ hospice providers across rural and urban settings. Her roles have also included serving as National Director of Hospice Quality & Patient Experience, leading a team of 20+ professionals driving quality improvement and regulatory readiness across 100+ hospice and palliative care provider locations nationwide. Heather is an Associate Consultant with OASIS Answers, Inc.
Shelly
McDiarmid
OASIS Answers, Inc.
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MSPT, MHA, CHS-C
Shelly is a physical therapist with over 25 years of clinical and administrative experience in hospice, home health, outpatient therapy and inpatient rehabilitation. Her hospice roles have included Chief Executive Officer and Director of Operations & Outreach, leading critical hospice functions such as process and performance improvement, EHR implementation, cross-functional team development, and collaborative community coalitions. Shelly is an Associate Consultant with OASIS Answers, Inc.