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Although hospice and palliative care programs are generally available to adults, the requirements governing these programs severely constrict pediatric access to services. Due to reimbursement and state licensing requirements, hospice programs generally must limit their populations to individuals within six months of death who have elected to forego curative care. Health care providers managing the care of children with serious medical conditions often cannot state with certainty that a child is within six months of death.
A parent should never have to choose between appropriate care and hope for a cure.
Children’s Hospice International (CHI), building upon its 20 years experience, and with technical assistance from experts in pediatric, hospice, and palliative care, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), developed its Program for All-Inclusive Care for Children and Their Families (CHI PACC®). Unlike traditional hospice and palliative care models, a CHI PACC program provides a continuum of care for children and their families from the time that a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition — with hope for a cure — through the bereavement process, if cure is not attained.
We encourage you to take a moment and complete this letter to your local Representative, urging them to support funding for a CHI PACC program in your state. By submitting this letter online, you can make your voice heard in recognition of children with life-threatening conditions and their families.
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