House Passes Bill to Extend Hospice Telehealth Flexibilities Through 2024

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would extend telehealth waivers until the end of 2024, whether or not the COVID-19 public health emergency is extended. This includes the ability to re-certify patients for hospice through virtual visits. The bill, dubbed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act, cleared the House with an […]

New York State Passes Law to Raise Hospice, Palliative Care Awareness

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a bill designed to expand awareness of advance care planning, hospice, and palliative care. The new law requires the New York State Department of Health to develop a public awareness campaign to promote advance care planning. The campaign must include education about hospice and palliative care, according to […]

Hospices Have High Hopes for PCHETA, But Is It Enough?

Stakeholders in the hospice space are optimistic that Congress will pass the recently reintroduced Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA). While some see the bill as a beacon of hope, sustainable change will likely require more than a single piece of legislation. The legislation has percolated for the past five years without passing, […]

Senate Again Takes Up Hospice, Palliative Staffing Bill

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 […]

Congress Reaches Spending Deal, Extends Hospice Recertification Waivers

Congressional lawmakers have reached consensus on a $1.5 trillion omnibus bill to fund the federal government. In addition to big ticket items such as additional COVID response funds and aid to Ukraine, the legislation extends temporary flexibilities for virtual care instituted during the federally declared public health emergency (PHE). When enacted, the bill will extend […]

Hospices Brace for Medicare Sequestration, Return Could Be ​‘Devastating’ for Smaller Operators

Although 2% sounds like a small number, it can mean financial life or death for some hospices, particularly small community-based providers. These organizations are once again waiting to see if the federal government will extend the current moratorium on Medicare sequestration, uncertain about their programs’ sustainability without such relief. Established in 2014 by the Budget […]

California Bill Would Require 2 Physicians for Hospice Recertification

The California State Assembly is mulling a bill that would require a second physician to sign off on patient recertifications for hospice and mandate that providers undergo an inspection by the California Department of Public Health every three years. The California legislation, if enacted, would go beyond current federal requirements from the U.S. Centers for […]

California Passes Major Hospice Reform Laws

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed into law two pieces of legislation designed to strengthen hospice oversight. The new laws include a moratorium on new hospice provider licenses as well as an extensive audit of California’s licensing and oversight processes.  State legislators began pursuing these bills — Senate Bill 664 and Assembly Bill 1280 […]

Senators Renew Effort to Pass Palliative Care Training Bill

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska.) have re-introduced a bill designed to bolster the palliative care workforce. The Provider Training in Palliative Care Act would clear the way for members of the National Health Service Corps to defer their service for as long as one year to pursue additional training in palliative […]

House Ways & Means Lawmakers Urge CMS to Launch Palliative Benefit

Support is building in Congress for the establishment of a dedicated community-based palliative care benefit through Medicare. Ten members of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee have written to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to call for a demonstration to test such a benefit. Brooks-LaSure is administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]