Congress approves measure to tighten scrutiny, inspections of hospices

The Washington Post: Congress Approves Tighter Scrutiny Of Hospices
Hospice agencies must subject themselves to government inspections at least once every three years under new legislation approved by Congress, part of a measure that addresses concerns about substandard operators in the booming industry. Approved by the House earlier this week and by the Senate late Thursday night, the bill also requires closer scrutiny of hospices at which a large percentage of patients live longer than six months -; a sign to regulators that a hospice may be intentionally enrolling people who are more profitable than patients closer to death (Whoriskey, 9/19).