Mid City Times

Last week, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne and Congressman Jimmy Panetta introduced the Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act. The legislation aims to restore integrity in the hospice benefit by increasing transparency, reducing payment for non-compliance, and raising public awareness of data reporting failures.

“When it comes to end-of-life care, you only have one chance to get it right,” said Rep. Van Duyne. She emphasized the need for accountability due to fraud that has breached trust between patients, families, and the medical community. “Fraudsters have stolen millions of taxpayer dollars which is why we’re working to provide accountability," she added.

Rep. Panetta highlighted the importance of further action: “While we’ve made important progress on hospice accountability, more must be done to prevent bad actors in this industry from slipping through the cracks.” He expressed pride in collaborating with Rep. Van Duyne on legislation that strengthens penalties for those failing quality care standards while supporting reputable providers.

Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, commented on the hospice special focus program (SFP): “The soon-to-launch hospice special focus program (SFP), while well-intentioned, is in its current design, flawed.” She thanked Reps. Van Duyne and Panetta for their leadership in ensuring transparency within hospices chosen for the SFP.

The Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice also voiced support: “We greatly appreciate the attention and thoughtfulness devoted to enhancing the integrity of the Hospice benefit.”

Tom Koutsoumpas from the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation expressed concerns about CMS's algorithm for identifying providers eligible for SFP inclusion: “We continue to have serious concerns about the algorithm CMS has finalized... a temporary two-year delay... is warranted.”

Dr. Steve Landers from the Alliance supported pausing the SFP program: “Ensuring the highest quality of care for hospice patients is essential... Together, we can build an oversight system that ensures quality care.”

The bill follows previous actions by Rep. Van Duyne addressing fraud within hospice programs alongside bipartisan efforts involving CMS oversight activities.