PA Provision of Hospice Care For Medicare Patients

On February 9, 2018, Congress passed and the President signed into law a provision that will allow PAs to manage and provide hospice care to terminally-ill Medicare patients. The law modernizes outdated Medicare law with language specific to PAs in the Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act.

As of January 1, 2019, PAs will be able to manage and provide hospice care to Medicare beneficiaries. Like physicians and APRNs, PAs will be able to be selected by patients as “attending physicians” for the purpose of Medicare hospice care. PAs will also be able to be employed by hospice organizations.