Volume 24.15
HOSPICE CARE ACT OF 2024 INTRODUCED
On Wednesday, Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced legislation, the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (“Hospice CARE Act”), which represents what would be the most significant hospice legislation since enactment of the hospice benefit.
The Hospice CARE Act follows previously exposed draft legislation which gained significant attention from NAHC, NHPCO, and others due to the potential integrity and payment reforms that were included.
The legislation includes most of the provisions that were included in the draft; however, some of the items included in the draft have been modified in the proposed legislation. Whether the legislation becomes law or not, it clearly is indicative of the issues being considered in both increased scrutiny by the government and revising hospice payments that target the actual use of resources by hospice in the provision of services.
There is increasing focus on:
· Ownership,
· Transfer of hospice ownership,
· Management and key administrative personnel,
· Physician/hospice relationships,
· New hospice providers, and
· Reducing hospice payments.
The legislation will be discussed in detail at our 2024 Hospice Financial Administration Conference which is being held next week, September 30 – October 1, 2024, in Phoenix.
The press release from Congressman Blumenauer is available here.
The proposed legislation is available here.
More information on the proposed legislation is forthcoming. Our focus will be on providing practical guidance related to this legislation.
The National Alliance for Care at Home (“the Alliance”) issued the following press release regarding the legislative initiative:
“The Alliance shares Rep. Blumenauer’s desire to update the Medicare hospice benefit to address the evolving needs of our country’s aging population while ensuring the sustainability and integrity of the hospice program. As a long-standing champion of hospice care, Rep. Blumenauer has consistently demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that hospice services remain accessible, compassionate, and of the highest quality for patients and their families. The Alliance appreciates Rep. Blumenauer’s commitment to involving a diverse group of stakeholders in developing this legislation and will continue to work closely with congressional leaders on the finer points of the proposed bill to ensure that the final legislation supports the needs of patients, families, and providers alike.”
Many of the provisions included in the legislation will be problematic to many hospices and continue to cause more resources to be expended on activities other than direct patient care. We encourage all hospices to look closely at the provisions of this proposed legislation and follow-up as they deem appropriate.