The National POLST Paradigm Task Force (NPPTF) has sent a letter to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that strongly supports the proposal to create new billing codes to reimburse health care professionals for advance care planning. The letter notes that “Compensating health care professionals for time spent in valuable conversations with their patients to discuss goals of care and treatment wishes is a critical step forward to honoring patient treatment preferences, particularly those nearing the end of life.”
We encourage state POLST Programs and individuals to send their own letters of support to CMS. On August 24th, state POLST contacts were sent a draft letter of support that they can choose to send to CMS and distribute to individuals. Contact your state POLST contact to obtain this draft letter of support. The public comment period is only open until September 8th, so be sure to send in your letter of support before then!
To read the NPPTF letter to CMS, click here.