Question

True or False: The Affordable Care Act requires that hospice physician or nurse Practioner have a face-to-face encounter with a hospice patient not more than 15 days prior to the start of the hospice patient's second benefit period

Answer 1

The Affordable Care Act does indeed require a face-to-face encounter between a hospice physician or nurse practitioner and a hospice patient not more than 15 days before the second benefit period begins, confirming the statement as True.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement is True. The Affordable Care Act mandates a face-to-face encounter between a hospice physician or nurse practitioner and the hospice patient not more than 15 days prior to the beginning of the second benefit period. This requirement was implemented to ensure that patients receive hands-on evaluation from a hospice physician or nurse practitioner to confirm ongoing eligibility for the hospice benefit and to provide an additional layer of support in establishing personalized and appropriate end-of-life care.

Hospice care is intensely personal, considering the emotional, spiritual, and physical comfort of the terminally ill. The aim is to respect the dignity of the individual by providing pain management and support in a comfortable environment, preferably in their own home surrounded by loved ones. Regulations, such as the one mentioned in the Affordable Care Act, contribute to a compassionate care system that values patient-centric approaches and the well-being of both patients and their families during end-of-life care.