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Senate Bill 916 |
Senate Author: Johnson |
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Effective: 6-10-19 |
House Sponsor: Zerwas |
Senate Bill 916 amends the Health and Safety Code to clarify that hospice services, for purposes of statutory provisions regulating home and community support services, include support services for terminally ill patients and their families and that all statutory references to palliative care means supportive palliative care, which is defined by the bill as physician‑directed interdisciplinary patient‑ and family‑centered care provided to a patient with a serious illness without regard to the patient's age or terminal prognosis. The bill provides for a study to assess potential improvements to a patient's quality of care and health outcomes and to anticipated cost savings to the state from supporting the use of or providing Medicaid reimbursement to certain Medicaid recipients for supportive palliative care.