Palliative care: the legal and regulatory requirements (Part II).

This article continues our journey analyzing the different provider settings in which palliative care services can be offered to patients. Our focus continues to examine the matrix of federal and state laws and regulations that impact reimbursement streams, and fraud and abuse concerns. The rules to comply with depend upon the provider setting in which the palliative care services are offered. State licensing requirements are the first hurdle for any provider, and were covered in the first article. Also discussed were the issues for a palliative care program (“PCP”) in a home health agency. Here we now explore other settings for PCPs including physician practice, hospital, inpatient hospice program, managed care, and hospice or PCP nurse liaison in a hospital or nursing home.