WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve access to hospice care in rural America.

In rural communities like those in West Virginia and New Hampshire, hospice care is underutilized - only 32 percent of those eligible in rural areas utilized hospice compared to 48 percent in urban areas according to a report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2016 aims to level the playing field.

“People in the final stages of life should have access to the compassionate care that hospice provides regardless of where they live. As someone who cared for aging parents and experienced firsthand what it is like to have a family member receive hospice care, I am committed to making sure this critical service is available in our rural communities. In West Virginia, this legislation will help ensure that patients and their loved ones have access to the peace, comfort and dignity hospice care provides,” said Senator Capito.

“This bipartisan bill improves access to hospice care for seniors in rural areas of the country, particularly in New Hampshire,” said Senator Shaheen. “This is a common sense proposal that will help patients and their families get hospice care and the peace of mind that comes with choosing their own doctor.”

When patients enroll in hospice, they select a physician or nurse practitioner to serve as their attending physician. Unlike other services, rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers cannot bill Medicare under Part B for hospice, which prevents some patients from receiving care from their trusted primary physician. The Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2016 provides a technical fix to this existing statutory barrier and allows rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to receive payment for physicians’ services in hospice care.

The legislation has been endorsed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc.
 

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