AMA Discusses Changes in Store for Hospice Physicians Under New Medicare Guidelines

The AMA's newspaper, American Medical News, examined the new Conditions of Participation for hospices participating in Medicare and discussed how the new rules may change the role of hospice physicians.

For physicians who practice in the hospice and palliative care setting, the changes likely will not drastically change the way they go about treating patients, said Porter S. Storey, MD. He's a hospital-based palliative care specialist in Boulder, Colo., and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine's executive vice president. CMS acknowledged, for instance, that many hospice patients are already very involved in their treatment plans.

Although the changes are not revolutionary, they are evolutionary for the physicians involved in end-of-life care, and this evolution has already started, Dr. Storey said.

"They clearly intend for hospice physicians to be much more involved in the care of patients," he said. "In the past it was possible for a small hospice to just employ a doctor to come by once a week and sign papers. Those days are really over."

For example, Medicare will require, for the first time, that hospices develop quality-assessment and performance-improvement programs and that their physicians participate in the process. Most physicians will welcome this opportunity to become more involved in improving outcomes, Dr. Storey said.

Read more about the changes the new Conditions of Participation will entail for hospices here.