Two Connecticut measures passed this spring aim to expand hospice access; pilot targets inpatient hospice reimbursement

Council members reported two developments from the recently concluded legislative session that could expand access to hospice and palliative care in Connecticut.

One measure funds a feasibility study to evaluate ways to improve hospice and palliative care access in Litchfield County, with an apparent focus on inpatient facility options. A council member said Diana Major, a DNP nursing professor at Fairfield University, has already completed preliminary research and is willing to present her findings to the council.

Separately, lawmakers approved a pilot to permit Medicaid room-and-board reimbursement for routine-level care at inpatient hospice facilities; Connecticut Hospice will host the initial pilot, subject to appropriations and implementation details. A council speaker said the public act was posted in the meeting chat and that the governor has signed the bill. The pilot is intended to reimburse routine-level hospice stays so Medicaid-eligible patients are not left in hospitals for lack of an appropriate inpatient hospice placement.

Council members and a hospice representative said the pilot won unanimous legislative support and is designed to reduce hospital length of stay and Medicaid costs by providing a lower per-diem alternative at hospice facilities. The hospice representative said the pilot will require operational work before patient admissions begin and estimated a timeline of months to a year to scale services.

Why it matters: the measures could produce new local capacity (a county-level feasibility study) and change financing incentives that now leave some Medicaid patients stuck in hospital beds because inpatient hospice room and board is not currently covered in the same way it is in nursing homes.

Next steps noted by the council include inviting Diana Major to present her feasibility work at a future meeting, monitoring the state appropriations process for the pilot, and following operational plans from Connecticut Hospice as they prepare to admit Medicaid-eligible patients under the new pilot.

Sources: statements and chat links posted during the council meeting. No formal vote on these items occurred during this meeting.