Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)
WASHINGTON – On Monday President Obama signed into law the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), which includes Tom Reed’s (R-Ithaca) bipartisan Hospice Opportunities for Supporting Patients with Integrity and Care Evaluations Act (HOSPICE).
According to a media release from Reed’s office, Provisions under his bill will strengthen access to quality hospice care and give hospice providers the tools they need to do their jobs more effectively.
The HOSPICE Act is twofold. First, the bill brings additional transparency and accountability measures to certified hospice facilities with a three-year recertification cycle as opposed to the current six to eight-year timeframe. The increase in hospice survey frequency means hospice centers are more attentive to the changing care patients need.
Second, the HOSPICE Act allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct a review of hospice programs that reach a threshold of patients in hospice care for more than 180 days, ensuring that those in most need of hospice care are supported.
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