Legislation introduced Wednesday would provide federal support for public awareness campaigns, the development of core end-of-life quality measures and the expansion of access to advance care planning via telehealth.
The Compassionate Care Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), also would direct the Health and Human Services secretary to work with providers, state boards of medicine and clinical associations to develop advanced care education resources quality measures. Another provision in the bill would facilitate a study on a national advanced care planning registry that would allow patients to transfer their advanced directives from state to state.
The legislation has been endorsed by more than a dozen healthcare organizations, including the National Partnership for Healthcare & Hospice Innovation, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and the Visiting Nurse Associations of America/ElevatingHOME.
