Compassionate Care Act

Compassionate Care Act

This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and implement a national campaign that informs the public of the importance of end-of-life or advanced care planning and of an individual's right to direct and participate in health care decisions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) must establish a website for qualified health care providers about those rights and advance care planning.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish a pilot grant program for end-of-life training in certain medical and health education schools.

The AHRQ must develop quality measures for end-of-life care in each relevant qualified health care provider setting. Health care providers must begin reporting on their performance relating to such measures on April 1, 2018.

The Health Resources and Services Administration must approve existing and develop new curricula on advance care planning and end-of-life care for continuing education that states may adopt for qualified health care providers.

HHS must establish a demonstration program for supporting the provision of advance care planning through videoconferencing for patients who live far from their health care provider.