APPROVED CHAPTER
JULY 9, 2021 438
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
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IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
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H.P. 793 - L.D. 1064
An Act To Advance Palliative Care Utilization in the State
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3174-FFF is enacted to read:
§3174-FFF. Palliative care reimbursement
1. Reimbursement. The department shall provide reimbursement under the
MaineCare program for palliative care for the entire interdisciplinary team as appropriate
to the plan of care, regardless of setting, including hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient
clinics and home care providers. For the purposes of this section, "palliative care" has the
same meaning as in section 1726.
2. Rules. The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. The rules must
include, but are not limited to, reimbursement policies and quality control measures that
ensure and promote high-value palliative care under the MaineCare program. The
department shall use national standards for quality palliative care in the development of the
rules. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
3. Stakeholder group. The department shall periodically convene a stakeholder group
that includes the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council
established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 47-I and representatives of organizations
representing palliative care, home care and hospice providers to advise the department on
educational materials and outreach related to this section.
Sec. 2. Rulemaking; national standards. In developing rules pursuant to the
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3174-FFF, subsection 2, the Department of
Health and Human Services shall consider national standards such as the Clinical Practice
Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care developed by the National Coalition for Hospice and
Palliative Care.
Sec. 3. State plan amendment. The Department of Health and Human Services
shall submit to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services any state plan amendments necessary to implement the
requirements of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3174-FFF.
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