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Navigating Hospice TPE and ADR Audits: A Consultant’s Guide to Responding with Confidence

If your hospice agency has received a Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) letter or an Additional Documentation Request (ADR) from your MAC, you’re not alone—and you’re not in trouble… yet.

hospice tpe

TPE and ADRs are not punitive by default—they’re part of CMS’s effort to improve billing accuracy and documentation quality. But how you respond can either put your agency on the path to success—or into deeper scrutiny.


Through hospice consulting, we’ve helped agencies across the country navigate TPE and ADR reviews with clarity, speed, and confidence. Here’s what you need to know if your agency is under review—and how to turn this challenge into an opportunity for long-term improvement.


📌 What Is a TPE Audit?

TPE (Targeted Probe and Educate) is a CMS-led program designed to review specific billing patterns or diagnoses that may indicate a risk of improper payments.

What it means:

  • Your agency has been flagged based on data analytics

  • You’ll be asked to submit 20–40 records for review

  • If documentation is insufficient, you’ll be given education and re-reviewed

  • Continued failure can lead to escalated audits, payment suspension, or termination


Common reasons hospice agencies are selected:

  • Long lengths of stay

  • High admission rates for dementia, debility, or failure to thrive

  • History of denied claims or poor narrative documentation

📌 What Is an ADR?

An ADR (Additional Documentation Request) is typically triggered during a post-payment or prepayment review. It may focus on a specific claim or patient case.

While less structured than TPE, ADRs still carry weight—and how you respond affects future audits, payment delays, and even your risk profile.


❗ Common Documentation Issues That Trigger Denials

  • Vague or copy-pasted physician narratives

  • Inconsistent eligibility documentation (missing decline, unsupported terminal prognosis)

  • Poor IDG meeting documentation

  • Lack of updated care plans

  • Failure to include recent labs, weight trends, or objective scores (PPS, FAST, etc.)

These aren’t just clerical oversights—they’re red flags in a review.

✅ How Hospice Consulting Helps You Navigate TPE & ADRs


1. Chart Audit & Risk Assessment

A consultant will review the requested charts for:

✔ Eligibility gaps

✔ Clinical inconsistencies

✔ Documentation alignment across disciplines

✔ Opportunities for clarification or correction

📋 Outcome: A clear understanding of what’s strong, what’s missing, and what needs to be fixed before submission.


2. Submission Strategy & Response Letter Guidance

Your response to an audit isn’t just about uploading PDFs—it’s about telling the right story with your documentation.


Consultants help you:

  • Organize your documentation for maximum clarity

  • Highlight clinical justification with supportive language

  • Draft or refine your cover letter/summary response

  • Include checklists or indexes for reviewers

📝 Outcome: A submission that’s easy to follow—and hard to deny.


3. Post-Review Education & Workflow Improvement

Once the review ends, don’t stop there. Consultants can help you:

  • Review findings with staff

  • Launch PIPs if issues were identified

  • Strengthen documentation protocols going forward

  • Build “audit-ready” documentation habits into your training

🎯 Outcome: Fewer denials, less stress, and better preparedness for the future.


4. Preventing Future Audits

The best way to manage audits is to stay off the radar. Consultants can help:

  • Monitor denial trends and at-risk diagnoses

  • Refine narrative writing, IDG documentation, and care planning

  • Build a mock-audit calendar into your QAPI program

  • Support staff with refresher training on eligibility criteria

🛡️ Outcome: A proactive, agency-wide approach to compliance that reduces the chance of being flagged again.

💡 Conclusion

TPE and ADR audits are stressful—but they don’t have to be damaging. With the right strategy and expert guidance, your agency can respond confidently, protect revenue, and turn audits into learning opportunities.


Hospice consulting brings the experience, structure, and objectivity needed to help you navigate audits efficiently—and come out stronger on the other side.

💬 Facing a TPE or ADR review? Our Hospice Consulting team can provide rapid chart audits, documentation coaching, submission support, and post-audit process improvements to keep your agency protected and survey-ready.

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