Feds mulling Medicare reimbursements to doctors for end-of-life planning

The federal government is considering a procedural change in Medicare policy that would allow the program to pay doctors to talk to patients about end-of-life planning (Source: “Feds to Consider Paying Doctors for End-of-Life Planning,” Stateline, June 4, 2014).

The American Medical Association's Relative Value Scale Update Committee  plans to issue recommendations soon to the federal government regarding the resources doctors expend when they provide advance care planning to patients, or confer with them about the care they would want if they were incapacitated.

Every year, the AMA makes such recommendations on a broad range of procedures and services to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS uses these recommendations, along with input from others, to set reimbursement rates, which private insurers also tend to use.