How to start a hospice in Minnesota
Minnesota requires a Hospice provider license from Minnesota Department of Health, Health Regulation Division to operate a hospice. Fee: Initial and renewal fee scales with hospice revenue: $150 (<= $25,000) up to $6,000 (> $1,500,000), with 14 revenue bands (e.g., $750 for $100,001-$250,000; $3,750 for $950,001-$1,100,000). Processing time: MDH acknowledges an application within 10 days and must grant or deny within 90 days of a complete application; otherwise the license is deemed granted (applicant must notify MDH in writing before providing care).
- License required
- YesHospice provider license
- Application fee
- See details
- Processing time
- —
- Medicaid rate
- —
- Organizations in the state
- 193NPPES, Sep 13, 2026
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Minnesota hospice license
Minnesota requires a Hospice provider license from Minnesota Department of Health, Health Regulation Division to operate a hospice. Fee: Initial and renewal fee scales with hospice revenue: $150 (<= $25,000) up to $6,000 (> $1,500,000), with 14 revenue bands (e.g., $750 for $100,001-$250,000; $3,750 for $950,001-$1,100,000). Processing time: MDH acknowledges an application within 10 days and must grant or deny within 90 days of a complete application; otherwise the license is deemed granted (applicant must notify MDH in writing before providing care).
- License required
- Yes
- License
- Hospice provider license
- Fee
- Initial and renewal fee scales with hospice revenue: $150 (<= $25,000) up to $6,000 (> $1,500,000), with 14 revenue bands (e.g., $750 for $100,001-$250,000; $3,750 for $950,001-$1,100,000).
- Processing time
- MDH acknowledges an application within 10 days and must grant or deny within 90 days of a complete application; otherwise the license is deemed granted (applicant must notify MDH in writing before providing care).
- 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
- Minn. Stat. §§ 144A.75-144A.755 (license and fees at § 144A.753); Minn. R. ch. 4664
Steps to get licensed in Minnesota
In order, as the licensing agency describes the process.
- Submit the hospice provider license application with the revenue-based fee
- MDH acknowledges receipt within 10 days and flags missing items
- MDH grants or denies within 90 days of a complete application
Staffing and training requirements
- Staffing
- Licensed physician medical director directing medical components
- Palliative care under direction of a licensed physician
- Interdisciplinary team meeting regularly
- Trained hospice volunteers
- Training
- Volunteers must complete a hospice volunteer training program
- Comprehensive tuberculosis infection control program
Enrolling as a Minnesota Medicaid provider
- Program
- Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) — Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare (Minnesota DHS)
- Enrollment portal
- Minnesota Provider Screening and Enrollment (MPSE) portal
- Fiscal agent
- None named — Minnesota DHS enrolls providers itself (MPSE/MN-ITS)
- Application fee
- DHS's Minnesota Revalidate 2026 FAQ refers to a revalidation fee that applies to some providers. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.
- Fingerprinting
- Minnesota runs background studies through NETStudy 2.0; DHS's revalidation FAQ covers when fingerprints are needed for high-risk revalidation. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.
- Site visit
- As part of Minnesota Revalidate 2026, DHS does unannounced site visits for high-risk services, including at locations where providers had never had one before. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.
- Revalidation
- Under the federally directed 'Minnesota Revalidate 2026' effort, providers of 13 services designated high risk had to complete an off-cycle revalidation by May 31, 2026; those who did not got disenrollment notices, with appeal rights. Notices arrive in the MN-ITS mailbox and providers revalidate in MPSE. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.
Does Minnesota require a certificate of need?
- CON program
- No
- Moratoria
- Hospital moratorium (Minn. Stat. §144.551): no new hospitals and no construction that increases hospital bed capacity or relocates beds, except projects specifically listed in statute (many after a Department of Health public interest review). Nursing home moratorium (Minn. Stat. §144A.071): the commissioners of health and human services must deny requests for new licensed or certified nursing home or certified boarding care beds unless an exception or the moratorium exception process in §144A.073 applies.
Minnesota wage floor
- State minimum wage
- $11.41 an hour
- Effective
- 2026-01-01
- Scheduled increases
- Rises to $11.87 on 2027-01-01 (inflation adjustment); 90-day training wage for workers under 20 is $9.68.
- Direct-care wage floor
- Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board minimum wages for nursing home workers, effective 2026-09-10: general worker $19.00, CNA $22.50, trained medication aide $23.50, LPN $27.00; rising 2027-01-01 to $20.50, $24.00, $25.00 and $28.50.
- Rate pass-through
- Personal care assistance agencies must spend at least 72.5% of Medicaid PCA revenue on PCA wages and benefits.
- 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.
Minnesota market size
Counts from federal public files: NPPES (active organization NPIs), CMS Care Compare and CMS Medicaid enrollment.
- Hospice agencies (community based) — active organization NPIs (NPPES)
- 193 (as of Sep 13, 2026)
- Medicare-certified hospices (CMS Care Compare)
- 81 (as of Aug 19, 2026)
- Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)
- 1,128,624 (as of Jun 1, 2026)
What Minnesota Medicaid pays
Hospice: published Minnesota fee-for-service rates, each linked to its source.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to start a hospice in Minnesota?
Minnesota requires a Hospice provider license from Minnesota Department of Health, Health Regulation Division to operate a hospice. Fee: Initial and renewal fee scales with hospice revenue: $150 (<= $25,000) up to $6,000 (> $1,500,000), with 14 revenue bands (e.g., $750 for $100,001-$250,000; $3,750 for $950,001-$1,100,000). Processing time: MDH acknowledges an application within 10 days and must grant or deny within 90 days of a complete application; otherwise the license is deemed granted (applicant must notify MDH in writing before providing care).
How much does a hospice license cost in Minnesota?
Initial and renewal fee scales with hospice revenue: $150 (<= $25,000) up to $6,000 (> $1,500,000), with 14 revenue bands (e.g., $750 for $100,001-$250,000; $3,750 for $950,001-$1,100,000).
How long does it take to get licensed in Minnesota?
MDH acknowledges an application within 10 days and must grant or deny within 90 days of a complete application; otherwise the license is deemed granted (applicant must notify MDH in writing before providing care).
Does Minnesota require a certificate of need for a hospice?
No. Minnesota has no certificate of need program.
How do you become a Medicaid provider in Minnesota?
Enroll through Minnesota Provider Screening and Enrollment (MPSE) portal (https://mn.gov/dhs/partners-and-providers/enroll-with-mhcp/), run by None named — Minnesota DHS enrolls providers itself (MPSE/MN-ITS).