ABCD Exchange : April 2000 : Public Policy - Government to Study Medicare Hospice Benefits

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Government To Study Medicare Hospice Benefits

In a recent press release, the General Accounting Office (GAO) noted, “Some advocates and provider groups have suggested that access to hospice has been limited--and the growth of hospice restrained--by several factors within the Medicare program including eligibility criteria, payment rates, and other factors.” As a result, the GAO is responding to a request by leaders of the Senate Special Committee on Aging to examine the Medicare hospice benefit and identify factors that affect the use of hospice services by Medicare beneficiaries. The review will address the following questions:

  1. What are the current patterns and trends in hospice use by Medicare beneficiaries, and what factors contribute to provider availability and patient utilization?

  2. Do the practices used by fiscal intermediaries to review hospice claims vary, and what are the implications of their practices for utilization of hospice benefits?

  3. What factors influence the cost of providing hospice services, and how well are they accounted for in the Medicare payment structure?

The study, scheduled for release this summer, will include a complete literature review; interviews with key stakeholders, including patient advocates, hospice providers and Health Care Finance Administration’s (HCFA) fiscal intermediaries; data on program expenditures, hospice use, and costs from HCFA, the hospice industry and others; and an analysis of the effect of provider, patient and program characteristics on hospice use.

For more information contact the following GAO staff members:

Rosamond Katz, Assistant Director, at (202) 512-7148 (katzr.hehs@gao.gov)

Eric Anderson, Senior Evaluator, at (202) 512-7129 (andersone.hehs@gao.gov)

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This content is provided by Americans for Better Care of the Dying. For more information, visit www.abcd-caring.org.