couple looking over documents

The Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act pending in Congress would, if passed and signed into law, expand access to advance care planning services in Medicare.

The bill would benefit both providers and older adults, Mollie Gurian, vice president of home-based and HCBS policy at LeadingAge, told the McKnight’s Business Daily.

“This legislation would allow social workers to bill Medicare for conversations about advance care planning (which many regularly have with older adult/Medicare beneficiaries) and, we expect, encourage more of them to provide advance care planning services (since they will now be paid),” she said. “HHS will be informing physicians about the changes to coding so they are more familiar with the option to bill Medicare.”

Under current law, Gurian said, physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants can bill Medicare for such advance care planning conversations, but the older adult could be billed for a co-pay.

“The legislation eliminates the co-pay,” she said. “We hope that by not having a co-pay and it being a service before the deductible, more people will use it, and providers need not be worried about billing their patients for these conversations.”

The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and in the House of Representatives by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

“The bipartisan bill we are introducing today would help provide an opportunity for patients to have a structured discussion with their health care providers about their goals and treatment options so that they can make their choices known and develop a plan of care in consultation with their loved ones,” Collins said Friday.

The act has the support of several patient and family advocacy organizations, including LeadingAge, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, Respecting Choices, USAging, the Social Work Hospice & Palliative Care Network, the Smarter Health Care Coalition, and the Consumer Coalition for Quality Health Care, according to Warner’s office.