Florida Granted Demonstration Waiver to Improve Hospice Care for Children
On Aug. 23, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA) awarded Florida a waiver to establish the Program for All-Inclusive Care for Children and their Families (PACC) demonstration. Under this program, children with life threatening conditions will receive hospice care in their homes, thereby "minimiz[ing] the need for expensive hospital or institutional care." The program will also allow children to receive hospice care "much earlier," ideally starting at the time of their diagnosis. The other states that will participate in PACC are Kentucky, New York, Utah and Virginia. Florida's demonstration will function as a "partnership" between the state's Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Health, the Division of Children's Medical Services and the Florida Hospices and Palliative Care Association (ACHA release, 8/23). For further information on state health policy in Florida, visit State Health Facts Online.
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