# Summary of H.R. 9803: Hospice CARE Act of 2024
This bill implements comprehensive oversight and payment reforms for Medicare hospice programs to address concerns about fraud, waste, and improper billing practices.
The legislation imposes a five-year moratorium on new hospice program enrollment, with limited exceptions for programs serving underserved areas. It requires existing hospice programs to undergo revalidation of their enrollment information and mandates more frequent inspections of newly enrolled programs and those with questionable billing patterns. The bill strengthens independence requirements by ensuring that physicians certifying patients as terminally ill are not financially tied to the hospice programs providing care, and it expands which medical professionals can make these certifications.
For payment changes, the bill restructures how Medicare pays for routine hospice care beginning in 2029, shifting from a single daily rate to a combination of per-diem and per-visit payments to better align reimbursement with actual service delivery. It adds new coverage for specific palliative treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis, and blood transfusions for eligible hospice patients. The bill also introduces wage-adjusted payment caps and allows hospice providers to furnish respite care in residential facilities and home settings.
Additional provisions require hospice programs to provide patients with detailed information about noncovered services at the time of enrollment and notify Medicare of changes in ownership or management. The legislation allocates $40 million for fiscal year 2026 to implement medical review and patient notification requirements, with continued funding in subsequent years for audits and technical expert panels.
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