Coalition ‘Strongly Urges’ Congress to Immortalize Hospice Telehealth Flexibilities

A coalition of hospice, home health and palliative care organizations has called on Congress to extend temporary telehealth flexibilities implemented during the pandemic. Doing so would help ensure continued access to quality care among vulnerable patient populations, according to the organizations.

A group of 39 organizations recently penned a letter urging congressional leaders to reconsider the expiration of telehealth waivers set forth during the public health emergency. Currently set to expire Dec. 31, these flexibilities allowed hospices to perform routine home care visits virtually and conduct face-to-face recertification visits. The National Alliance for Care at Home spearheaded the effort.

Expanded access to telehealth services has become an important part of sustainable end-of-life care delivery in more ways than one, the hospice, home health and palliative coalition indicated in its letter. The organizations voiced “strong support” for extended telehealth utilization, which has helped reduce costs and barriers to quality care, improved timely access and expanded clinical bandwidth, they stated.

Advertisement

“Telehealth is an effective means of conducting these administrative visits without increasing Medicare costs,” the coalition stated in its letter to Congress. “Extending this flexibility, especially in rural and high-traffic urban areas, will significantly benefit both patients and providers. We strongly urge Congress to ensure the hospice [face-to-face (F2F)] telehealth flexibility is included in any telehealth package before it expires at the end of the year.”

Several state-based hospice and palliative associations signed the letter. Signatories also included the Alliance, LeadingAge, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the National Coalition for Hospice & Palliative Care, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and chaplain and nursing associations, among others.

Telehealth flexibilities have yielded benefits for patients and providers, the coalition indicated. These waivers have allowed hospice providers to focus on direct patient care, reduce unnecessary staffing burdens and improve patient and family satisfaction.

Advertisement

In-person requirements can be burdensome on clinical hospice teams commuting far distances or spending long hours in heavy traffic and weather conditions. Expanding virtual patient and recertification visits allows for better use of clinical resources and improved capacity, according to the coalition.

Congress is currently mulling legislation that could extend current telehealth regulations through 2026. Introduced in May, the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act, would as of 2025 extend the flexibilities by two years. The bill has since stalled on the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee floor.

Reduced access to telehealth could have negative impacts on quality and operational workflows, the Alliance’s CEO Dr. Steve Landers indicated.

“Telehealth has transformed care delivery in both hospice and home health, particularly in rural and underserved areas,” Landers said in a statement shared with Hospice News. “Virtual F2F recertifications have freed up clinicians to focus more on urgent patient care and this flexibility has allowed providers to continue serving patients efficiently and safely. Both sectors have seen improvements in access to care and a reduction in unnecessary travel burdens for providers and families.”

Sunsetting telehealth waivers has left some hospice providers trekking toward an uncertain future, as more have leveraged virtual services to a greater extent in recent years. Hospices have increasingly poured financial and operational resources into ramping up their technology investments and infrastructures.

Telehealth has become a key part of meeting requirements related to timely hospice access, the organizations stated in the letter. Patients start hospice with a new provider at a time that coincides with the required administrative timing for a face to face. These referrals are often made for patients with an “imminent need for care” and being able to use telehealth to start care in these cases has been particularly valuable, the providers indicated.

“It is critical that this flexibility be maintained going forward,” the organizations stated in the letter. “This flexibility is always important; there are circumstances where it is invaluable. By allowing this telehealth flexibility, physicians and nurse practitioners can spend more time delivering care and less time traveling between patient locations.”

Companies featured in this article:

, , , ,