“While much policy attention has
been dedicated to the 10 percent of patients who receive care under the
Medicare Hospice Benefit for more than 180 days, there has not been nearly
enough attention paid to more than 60 percent that die within 30 days,” said J.
Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization.
Regulators and organizations such
as MedPAC have voiced concerns about long length of service (more than 180
days) that some hospice patients receive. In recent months, some media sources have
focused on this segment of the hospice patient population, often
misunderstanding the value hospice provides patients and family caregivers
beyond what is known as “brink of death” care.
Many people incorrectly associate
the prognosis requirement of six months or less that is necessary for a patient
to access care under the Medicare hospice benefit as a limit to the amount of
time a patient can receive care. As long
as the patient continues to meet the prognosis of six months or less – meaning the
physician might expect the patient to die within six weeks if his or her
medical condition continues to advance – the patient is eligible for hospice
care.
In
order to create a public dialogue and bring transparency to this complicated
set of issues, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s HospiceAction Network (NHPCO HAN) is hosting The Right Care and the Right Time: An Open Conversation on Hospice Length of
Stay.
The
second annual policy symposium hosted by NHPCO HAN is set for Tuesday, March
25, 2014, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Union Station’s Columbus Room in
Washington, DC. For event details and registration
information, visit hospiceactionnetwork.org/symposium.
HAN's 2013 Policy Symposium featured opening remarks
from Joe Klein of TIME Magazine.
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