How to start a hospice in New Mexico

New Mexico requires a Hospice license — in-home hospice agency or inpatient hospice facility (annual; temporary license up to 120 days) from New Mexico Health Care Authority (licensing authority for health facilities) to operate a hospice. Fee: License fees are payable as set out in the licensing authority's fee rule (8.370.3 NMAC); amount not captured here.

License required

Yes

License

Hospice license — in-home hospice agency or inpatient hospice facility (annual; temporary license up to 120 days)

Issuing agency

New Mexico Health Care Authority (licensing authority for health facilities)

Fee

License fees are payable as set out in the licensing authority's fee rule (8.370.3 NMAC); amount not captured here.

Renewal

Every year

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

8.370.19 NMAC (Requirements for In-home and Inpatient Hospice Care, eff. 2024-07-01); NMSA 1978 §§ 24-1-2, 24-1-3, 24-1-5

1. Complete the licensing authority's initial application form in full, signed by the prospective licensee and notarized
2. Attach a resume and three character references (not relatives or employees) for the person running day-to-day operations
3. Pay the license fee under the fee rule
4. Pass the initial licensure survey
5. Receive an annual license (or a temporary license of up to 120 days at the authority's discretion)

Program

New Mexico Medicaid / Turquoise Care (New Mexico Health Care Authority, Medical Assistance Division)

Enrollment portal

Provider & PED Enrollment System at YES.NM.GOV

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. HCA's enrollment pages do not list a separate state fee.

Fingerprinting

HCA's Provider Enrollment Matrix flags fingerprints as mandatory for home health agencies, DME/medical supply providers, prosthetists/orthotists, and private and state nursing facilities. 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

HCA's Provider Enrollment Matrix flags a mandatory site visit for some entries of these types: ground ambulance, home health agencies, hospice, clinical and diagnostic laboratories, DME/medical supply providers, physical therapists, LMFTs, and prosthetists/orthotists. 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.

Revalidation

New Mexico revalidates every three years, which is more often than the federal 5-year minimum. Revalidation is rolling and restarted in June 2026. A selected provider gets a 60-day notice, logs in to YES.NM.GOV, updates the record, uploads the documents listed in the Provider Enrollment Matrix, and submits. A provider who does not revalidate can be disenrolled. Expiring licenses and certifications are updated separately through a Recertification application.

Full New Mexico Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

No

Agency

New Mexico Health Care Authority, Division of Health Improvement (facility licensing only)

New Mexico certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$12.00 an hour

Effective

2023-01-01

Scheduled increases

No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.

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)

124 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Medicare-certified hospices (CMS Care Compare)

52 (as of Aug 19, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

673,265 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All New Mexico Hospice Medicaid rates, ranked →