Compassionate Care Act

To improve end-of-life care. 1. Short title (a) Short title This Act may be cited as the Compassionate Care Act (b) Table of contents The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Definitions. TITLE I—Advance care planning Subtitle A—Consumer education Sec. 101. Advance care planning guidelines. Sec. 102. National public education campaign. Subtitle B—Provider education Sec. 111. Public provider advance care planning website. Sec. 112. Advance care curricula pilot program. Sec. 113. Development of core end-of-life care quality measures across each relevant provider setting. Sec. 114. Continuing education for qualified health care providers. TITLE II—Reports, research, and evaluations Sec. 201. Demonstration projects for use of telemedicine services in advance care planning. Sec. 202. Study and report by the Secretary regarding the establishment and implementation of a national uniform policy on advance directives. Sec. 203. Gao study and report on establishment of national advance directive registry; other studies. 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Advance care planning The term advance care planning (2) Advance directive The term advance directive (3) CHIP The term CHIP 42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq. (4) End-of-life-care The term end-of-life care (5) Health care agent The term health care agent (6) Health care power of attorney The term health care power of attorney (7) Living will The term living will (8) Medicaid The term Medicaid 42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq. (9) Medicare The term Medicare 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq. (10) Orders for life-sustaining treatment The term orders for life-sustaining treatment (11) Qualified health care provider The term qualified health care provider (12) Secretary The term Secretary I Advance care planning A Consumer education 101. Advance care planning guidelines It is the sense of the Senate that, to the extent practicable, advance care planning should— (1) occur with an individual and such individual’s health care agent, primary clinician, other authorized decisionmaker, or members of the entire interdisciplinary health care team; (2) be recorded and updated as needed; and (3) allow for flexible decisionmaking in the context of the patient’s medical situation, in accordance with guidelines provided by the Secretary. 102. National public education campaign (a) National public education campaign (1) In general Not later than January 1, 2017, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in consultation with public and private entities, as the Secretary determines appropriate, shall, directly or through grants, contracts, or interagency agreements, develop and implement a national campaign to inform the public of the importance of advance care planning and of an individual’s right to direct and participate in health care decisions affecting such individual. (2) Content of educational campaign The national public education campaign established under paragraph (1) may— (A) employ the use of various media, including regularly televised public service announcements; (B) provide culturally and linguistically appropriate information; (C) be conducted continuously over a period of not less than 5 years; (D) identify and promote the advance care planning information available on the Internet Websites of the Department of Health and Human Service’s National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information, the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration for Community Living, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; (E) address the importance of individuals speaking to family members, health care proxies, and qualified health care providers as part of an ongoing dialogue regarding health care choices; (F) address the need for individuals to communicate their health care goals and wishes through a variety of means, including the use of readily available legal and medical documents that express their health care decisions in the form of advance directives (including living wills, orders for life-sustaining treatment, and durable powers of attorney for health care); (G) raise public awareness regarding the availability of hospice and palliative care and the quality of life benefits of early use of such services; and (H) encourage individuals to speak with qualified health care professionals about their options and intentions for end-of-life care. (3) Evaluation Not later than July 1 2019, the Secretary shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress on the effectiveness of the public education campaign under this section, and include in such report any recommendations that the Secretary determines appropriate regarding the need for continuation of legislative or administrative changes to facilitate changing public awareness, attitudes, and behaviors regarding advance care planning. (b) Repeal Section 4751(d) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 1396a Public Law 101–508 B Provider education 111. Public provider advance care planning website (a) Development Not later than January 1, 2018, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, shall establish an, or expand upon an existing, Internet Website for providers under Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, the Indian Health Service (including contract providers), and other qualified health care providers on each individual’s right to make decisions concerning medical care, including the right to accept or refuse medical or surgical treatment, and engage in advance care planning. (b) Maintenance The Internet Website described in subsection (a) shall be maintained and publicized by the Secretary on an ongoing basis. (c) Content The Internet Website may include content, tools, and resources necessary to do the following: (1) Inform qualified health care providers about the advance directive requirements under the health care programs described in subsection (a) and other State and Federal laws and regulations related to advance care planning. (2) Educate providers about advance care planning quality improvement activities. (3) Provide assistance to qualified health care providers to— (A) integrate advance care planning documents into electronic health records, including oral directives; and (B) develop and disseminate advance care planning informational materials for patients. (4) Inform qualified health care providers about advance care planning continuing education requirements and opportunities. (5) Encourage qualified health care providers to discuss advance care planning with patients of all ages. (6) Assist qualified health care providers’ understanding of the continuum of end-of-life care services and supports available to patients, including palliative care and hospice. (7) Inform qualified health care providers of best practices for discussing end-of-life care with dying patients and their loved ones. 112. Advance care curricula pilot program (a) In general The Secretary, in consultation with appropriate professional associations, shall establish a pilot program by which the Secretary awards grants to eligible entities that require a minimum amount of end-of-life training as a requirement for obtaining a degree from such entity. (b) Eligibility To be eligible to participate in the pilot program under this section, an entity shall— (1) be a school of medicine, school of osteopathic medicine, a physician assistant education program (as defined in section 799B(3) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 295p(3) 42 U.S.C. 295p(4) (2) be staffed by teaching health professionals who have experience or training in palliative medicine; (3) provide training in palliative medicine through a variety of service rotations, such as consultation services, acute care services, extended care facilities, ambulatory care and comprehensive evaluation units, hospice, home health, and community care programs; (4) develop specific performance-based measures to evaluate the competency of trainees; and (5) ensure that by not later than the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, professionals who are applicable faculty at the entity, or others as determined appropriate by the Secretary, shall be offered retraining in hospice and palliative medicine. (c) Training Eligible entities participating in the pilot program under this section shall require minimum training for trainees that includes— (1) training in how to discuss and help patients and their loved ones with advance care planning; (2) with respect to trainees who will work with children, specialized pediatric training; (3) training in the continuum of end-of-life services and supports, including palliative care and hospice; (4) training in how to discuss end-of-life care with dying patients and their loved ones; (5) medical and legal issues training associated with end of life care; (6) training in cultural competency; and (7) in the case of a graduate medical education program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, a longitudinal component of at least 6 months. (d) Reports Each recipient of a grant under this section shall report to the Secretary on the outcomes of the program within 18 months of receipt of the final allotment of grant funds. Not later than 1 year after receipt of all such reports, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report compiling such results from all grant recipients. 113. Development of core end-of-life care quality measures across each relevant provider setting (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (in this section referred to as the Administrator (b) Requirements For purposes of subsection (a), the requirements specified in this subsection are the following: (1) Selection of the specific measure or measures for an identified provider setting shall be based on an assessment of what is likely to have the greatest positive impact on quality of end-of-life care in that setting, and made in consultation with affected providers, patients, and private organizations, that have developed such measures. (2) The measures may be structure-oriented, process-oriented, or outcome-oriented, as determined appropriate by the Administrator, and shall be patient-oriented. (3) The Administrator shall ensure that reporting requirements related to such measures are imposed consistently with other applicable laws and regulations, and in a manner that takes into account existing measures, the needs of patient populations, the specific services provided, and the potential administrative burden to providers. (4) Not later than— (A) April 1, 2017, the Secretary shall disseminate the reporting requirements to all affected providers and provide for a 60-day period for public comment; and (B) April 1, 2018, initial reporting by health care providers relating to the measures shall begin. 114. Continuing education for qualified health care providers (a) In general Not later than January 1, 2018, the Secretary, acting through the Director of Health Resources and Services Administration, shall approve existing and develop, in consultation with qualified health care providers, other professionals as the Secretary determines appropriate, and State boards of medicine and nursing, new curricula on advance care planning and end-of-life care for continuing education that States may adopt for qualified health care providers. (b) Content The continuing education curriculum developed under subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, include— (1) a description of the meaning and importance of advance care planning; (2) a description of advance care planning documents, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and the use of such directives; (3) the appropriate use of orders for scope of treatment; (4) counseling skills for when and how to introduce and engage in advance care planning with patients and their loved ones; (5) palliative care principles and approaches to care; (6) the continuum of end-of-life services and supports, including palliative care and hospice; and (7) the importance of introducing palliative care and hospice early in illness in order to improve quality of life. II Reports, research, and evaluations 201. Demonstration projects for use of telemedicine services in advance care planning (a) In general Not later than July 1, 2019, the Secretary shall establish a demonstration program to reimburse eligible entities for costs associated with the use of telemedicine services (including equipment and connection costs) to provide advance care planning through telemedicine consultations with geographically distant providers and their patients. (b) Duration The demonstration project under this section shall be conducted for at least a 3-year period. (c) Report Not later than March 15, 2017, the Secretary shall, using quantitative and qualitative research methods, submit a report to Congress on the status of telemedicine programs, including information that identifies— (1) the telehealth services for which payment can be made, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, under the fee-for-service program under parts A and B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act; (2) the telehealth services for which payment can be made, as of such date, under private health insurance plans; (3) with respect to services identified under paragraph (2) but not under paragraph (1), ways in which payment for such services might be incorporated into such fee-for-service program (including any recommendations for ways to accomplish this incorporation); and (4) any legal or regulatory challenges to expanding telehealth services, and any promising solutions to such challenges. (d) Definitions For purposes of this section: (1) The term eligible entity (2) The term geographically distant (3) The term telemedicine services (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. Any funds made available under this section shall be used to supplement, not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funding provided for telemedicine services. 202. Study and report by the Secretary regarding the establishment and implementation of a national uniform policy on advance directives (a) Study (1) In general The Secretary, acting through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, shall conduct a study to evaluate the barriers to establishing and implementing a national uniform policy on advance directives and what needs to be done to overcome those barriers. (2) Matters studied The matters studied by the Secretary under paragraph (1) may include issues concerning— (A) family satisfaction that a patient’s wishes, as stated in the patient’s advance directive, were carried out; (B) the portability of advance directives, including cases involving the transfer of an individual from one health care setting to another; (C) the feasibility of establishing an optional, national advance directive form deemed valid by any health care entity or qualified health care provider participating in Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP, regardless of State law; and (D) State variations in advance directive laws that are relevant to the establishment and implementation of a national uniform policy of advance directives. (b) Report to congress Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a), together with recommendations for such legislation and administrative actions as the Secretary considers appropriate. (c) Consultation In conducting the study and developing the report under this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Uniform Law Commissioners, and other interested parties. 203. Gao study and report on establishment of national advance directive registry; other studies (a) Study and report on establishment of national advance directive registry (1) Study The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on the feasibility of a national registry for advance directives, taking into consideration the constraints created by the privacy provisions enacted as a result of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ( Public Law 104–191 (2) Report Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) together with recommendations for such legislation and administrative action as the Comptroller General of the United States determines to be appropriate. (b) ONC Study The National Coordinator of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology shall conduct a study on the feasibility and impact on advance care planning of requiring that electronic health record vendors seeking certification have a prominent and easily visible field for storing and sharing advance care planning documents and related clinical notes. (c) Additional study The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on the incidence of health care, tests, surgeries, drugs, and other services paid provided by qualified health care providers and paid for by the Federal Government or the patient and that were unwanted by the patient or family of the patient.

Summary: Compassionate Care Act This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and implement a national campaign that informs the public of the importance of end-of-life or advanced care planning and of an individual's right to direct and participate in health care decisions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) must establish a website for qualified health care providers about those rights and advance care planning. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish a pilot grant program for end-of-life training in certain medical and health education schools. The AHRQ must develop quality measures for end-of-life care in each relevant qualified health care provider setting. Health care providers must begin reporting on their performance relating to such measures on April 1, 2018. The Health Resources and Services Administration must approve existing and develop new curricula on advance care planning and end-of-life care for continuing education that states may adopt for qualified health care providers. HHS must establish a demonstration program for supporting the provision of advance care planning through videoconferencing for patients who live far from their health care provider.