(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall conduct
a demonstration project for the delivery of hospice care to medicare beneficiaries
in rural areas. Under the project medicare beneficiaries who are unable to receive
hospice care in the facility for lack of an appropriate caregiver are provided
such care in a facility of 20 or fewer beds which offers, within its walls,
the full range of services provided by hospice programs under section 1861(dd)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)).
(b) SCOPE OF PROJECT- The Secretary shall conduct
the project under this section with respect to no more than 3 hospice programs
over a period of not longer than 5 years each.
(c) COMPLIANCE WITH CONDITIONS- Under the demonstration
project--
(1) the hospice program shall comply
with otherwise applicable requirements, except that it shall not be required
to offer services outside of the home or to meet the requirements of section
1861(dd)(2)(A)(iii) of the Social Security Act; and
(2) payments for hospice care shall
be made at the rates otherwise applicable to such care under title XVIII of
such Act.
The Secretary may require the program to comply with such additional
quality assurance standards for its provision of services in its facility as
the Secretary deems appropriate.
(d) REPORT- Upon completion of the project,
the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the project and shall include
in the report recommendations regarding extension of such project to hospice
programs serving rural areas.
