The PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report) is the primary source of data used to determine whether a hospice will be subject to Medicare medical review. Gathered strictly from processed claims information, the PEPPER is heavily weighted in this decision. Many of the targets calculated within the PEPPER give hospices insight into claim details that may have been overlooked and caused calculation errors. Hospices should be aware of the impact of their PEPPER data! This session will cover key elements in the PEPPER targets and how to determine whether improvements are needed. All new elements implemented with the April 2023 release will be reviewed.

• Hospice