Vallejo Times Herald - Thompson's hospice care legislation becomes law

Legislation co-authored by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and New York Republican Tom Reed was signed into law Monday by President Obama at a White House ceremony, Thompson's office announced.

The bipartisan legislation seeks to improve access to quality hospice care, according to the announcement.

The Hospice Opportunities for Supporting Patients with Integrity and Care Evaluations (HOSPICE) Act was included in the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014, Thompson's office said.

"This law will strengthen accountability and transparency at hospice facilities so that patients receive the highest quality care possible," Thompson said in a statement. "By putting these accountability measures in place, we are improving hospice centers and providing patients and their families the peace of mind that they will be able to depend on the care they receive."

The HOSPICE Act requires a three-year re-certification cycle for hospice facilities as opposed to the current six to eight-year cycle. This enhanced time frame is designed to improve accountability and make sure hospice centers are attentive to the changing needs of patient care. It will also help hospice providers see where improvements are needed, he said. Surveys found the existing intervals and resources were inadequate, he said.

The HOSPICE Act also allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to conduct a medical review of hospice programs that care for patients for more than 180 days. This will help ensure patients at high-volume hospice centers are receiving quality care, Thompson's office said.