Medicare will now check if hospice patients are actually dying

Medicare is tightening rules for hospice care. Doctors will now have to attest that a patient is terminally ill, and that they have met with the patient in person.

For years, hospice care has been a growing cost for Medicare, with questions about whether all patients truly meet the criteria for terminal illness. These new rules mean that doctors and hospice providers will face more scrutiny. It will become harder for patients who are not genuinely at the end of life to access hospice benefits.