INTRODUCTION TO RECOMMENDATIONS SECTION

The following section contains the background for the recommendations and strategies for implementation. The recommendations are divided into three issue areas:

Access to end of life care and services

Pediatric, rural populations, and minority and immigrant communities

End of life education

Public, undergraduate and graduate students, and practicing professionals

End of life public policy

Residential end of life care, adult orphans, and out-of-hospital end of life care by Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

A fourth Public Policy recommendation regarding nurse practitioners’ ability to refer to hospice and bill for services for hospice patients is covered in Appendix 4. Because this is an issue of federal regulation, the Commission opted to write a letter of support to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization supporting legislation to revise the rules regarding nurse practitioners and hospice care.