How to start a hospice in Nebraska

Nebraska requires a Hospice service license (non-inpatient or inpatient hospice) from Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit to operate a hospice. Fee: Initial licensure fee: $450 for other than inpatient; $650 for inpatient hospice. The same application form covers change of location and change of ownership.

License required

Yes

License

Hospice service license (non-inpatient or inpatient hospice)

Issuing agency

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit

Fee

Initial licensure fee: $450 for other than inpatient; $650 for inpatient hospice. The same application form covers change of location and change of ownership.

Medicare certification

Medicare certification is separate from the state license (state survey or CMS-approved accreditor). CMS imposed a nationwide 6-month moratorium on new Medicare hospice enrollments (including new practice locations) effective 2026-05-13, extendable in 6-month increments; applications received by the Medicare contractor before that date are still processed, accreditation cannot be used for deemed-status entry during the moratorium, and a hospice undergoing a non-exempt ownership change within 36 months of enrollment must re-enroll as new and is therefore blocked. The federal notice leaves Medicaid/CHIP hospice moratoria to each state.

Regulation

Health Care Facility Licensure Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 71-401 to 71-475; 175 NAC 16 (Hospice Services)

1. Complete the Hospice Service Licensure Application (initial, change of location or change of ownership)
2. List administrator, counties served, inpatient beds, start date, any accreditation (TJC/CHAP) and Medicare/Medicaid certification
3. Disclose ownership and business organization
4. Sign as required by Neb. Rev. Stat. § 71-433 and submit with the fee

Program

Nebraska Medicaid (Heritage Health managed care), Division of Medicaid & Long-Term Care, Nebraska DHHS

Enrollment portal

Maximus Provider Data Management System (PDMS)

Fiscal agent

Maximus is the enrollment and screening contractor. DHHS's page sends fee-for-service claim questions to Nebraska DHHS Medicaid Claims Customer Service and names no separate claims fiscal agent.

Application fee

Under the federal rule (42 CFR 455.460), institutional providers pay the CMS application fee when they first enroll, re-enroll or revalidate. The fee is $750 for calendar year 2026. Individual physicians and non-physician practitioners do not pay it. A fee already paid to Medicare or to another state's Medicaid program counts. Nebraska's screening and enrollment page does not list a separate state fee. The $55 fingerprint check is a separate cost (see fingerprinting).

Fingerprinting

Provider types that fall in the 'high risk' level of the Nebraska Medicaid Provider Risk Level list must complete a Fingerprint Criminal Background Check, both at enrollment and at revalidation. DHHS Provider Relations sends the packet. The check costs $55 through the Nebraska State Patrol; other fingerprint sites may add a fee. Under federal rules (42 CFR 455.434 and 455.450), the state places provider types in 'limited', 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels. High-risk providers, and anyone who owns 5% or more of one, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.

Site visit

Under federal rule (42 CFR 455.432), the state must visit moderate- and high-risk providers before and after enrollment. Every enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections. Nebraska's enrollment page does not describe a state-specific site visit process.

Revalidation

Every 5 years from the date of first enrollment. Maximus emails a notice as early as 180 days before the due date and sends reminders after that. The provider logs into PDMS, updates the record and submits it. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414) requires the state to revalidate every enrolled provider at least once every 5 years.

Full Nebraska Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Certificate of Need (Nebraska Health Care Certificate of Need Act)

Agency

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

Services covered

• new long-term care beds (nursing facility beds)
• long-term care bed increases above 10 beds or 10% (whichever is less) over two years
• new rehabilitation beds and rehabilitation bed increases above 10 beds or 10% over two years
• hospital conversion of beds to long-term care or rehabilitation beds above the same limits

Moratoria

All long-term care beds that need a CON are under a statutory moratorium unless an exception applies, such as a department finding that individuals with complex or intensive care needs are underserved (Neb. Rev. Stat. §71-5829.04). All rehabilitation beds that need a CON are under a moratorium unless statewide rehabilitation occupancy exceeded 90% for the last three consecutive quarters, or a regional occupancy exception applies (§71-5829.06).

Nebraska certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$15.00 an hour

Effective

2026-01-01

Scheduled increases

LB 258 (approved 2026-02-09) changed the annual adjustment that starts 2027-01-01 and lets employers pay a $13.50 youth/training wage. The Nebraska DOL must publish the 2027 rate by 2026-10-15; it was not yet found.

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Hospice agencies (community based) — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

123 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Medicare-certified hospices (CMS Care Compare)

43 (as of Aug 19, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

330,435 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Nebraska Hospice Medicaid rates, ranked →