NHPCO and the Hospice Action Network always have an eye on the future. We know that the realities, diagnoses and demographics of the patients who depend on hospice evolve and change over time, and we strive to make sure that the Medicare Hospice Benefit can keep up with these demands and allow for providers to deliver compassionate care at the bedside to future generations.

Throughout 2011, NHPCO will be working through its membership-led Public Policy Committee, along with the resources of the Hospice Action Network, to craft a legislative proposal that will capture these needs and seize on opportunities to expand and enhance access to hospice. The package is still in the earliest stages of development, but we expect it to include, at a minimum, some of the following concepts that already have wide-spread Congressional and hospice community support:

• Piloting transitional care models within Medicare

• Requiring mandatory surveys at least as frequently as every three years for all Medicare-certified hospices

• Medicare reimbursement for voluntary advanced care planning consultations

• A national information clearinghouse for advanced directives
   

Stay tuned for updates!