Hospice providers will be looking to Congress in 2024 to address issues related to program integrity, quality improvement and industry-wide workforce pressures. As legislative efforts develop, hospices may want to focus their attention on a few key legislators. Though hospice is largely a community-based business, actions on the national level can have a huge impact. […]
The four largest hospice industry organizations are urging congressional lawmakers to mandate changes to the Special Focus Program (SFP) currently set to begin in 2024. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week issued its 2024 home health payment rule, which contained several hospice provisions. Among them was the Jan. 1 implementation […]
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is holding a markup meeting today on a bill that would, among other provisions, reallocate close to $1 billion hospice dollars to other programs. When it comes to legislation, a few words can make a big difference. A couple of sentences in a 120-page set of amendments to the Social […]
In recent years Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) has emerged as a champion for hospice policy and reform, but he will not seek re-election to Congress in 2024. The Portland, Oregon native was first elected to Congress 27 years ago and later gained a seat on the influential Ways and Means Committee in the U.S. House […]
Some federal legislators are working to address workforce issues in the hospice space, as well as bolstering support for family caregivers. In a fractious political environment, hospice and palliative care policy is one area in which members of both parties find common ground. Lawmakers have introduced a series of bipartisan bills designed to relieve workforce […]
Two of the largest advocacy groups for the home health and hospice industries are one step closer to joining forces. In a joint announcement on Thursday, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) revealed that their respective boards have signed a non-binding letter of […]
Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) have reintroduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA), designed to bolster the field’s shrinking workforce with federal support. If enacted, PCHETA would support hospice and palliative care training programs for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and chaplains. The bill would also expand continuing […]
Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently re-introduced legislation designed to expand the palliative care workforce. The two lawmakers, along with others, also brought forth a second bill designed to ensure that hospice patients who need blood transfusions can receive them. The bipartisan-supported Provider Training in Palliative Care Act aims to increase the […]
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 59 bipartisan co-sponsors have reintroduced legislation that would expand Medicare coverage of telehealth and make permanent flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 public health emergency. If enacted, the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act would remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and […]
Years after it was first introduced, hospice leaders are calling on Congress to move forward legislation that would bolster their dwindling workforce. The most significant bill in recent years is the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA), which has come before Congress time and again but has not yet been passed. The bill’s […]
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