Hospice Pediatric Concurrent Care

Total Course Timing: 23 Minutes

This course provides hospice clinicians with a working understanding of pediatric concurrent care under section 2302 of the Affordable Care Act, which allows children with a terminal diagnosis to receive curative and life-prolonging treatments alongside hospice. Clinicians often encounter confusion from families, payers, and even state Medicaid offices about how the pediatric benefit differs from adult hospice and what families are giving up when they enroll. Geared toward hospice nurses, social workers, and interdisciplinary team members in Medicare-certified hospices, this course clarifies eligibility and prognostic criteria for children, distinguishes life-prolonging from comfort-related interventions for documentation and billing, and walks through coordination with pediatric specialists who remain involved after admission. Students will develop practical strategies for verifying Medicaid coverage, advocating with payers unfamiliar with the benefit, and navigating high-acuity situations such as ICU admissions or full-code events without disrupting hospice enrollment. The training also highlights recognized implementation toolkits and resources to support consistent, compliant pediatric concurrent care.

Learning Outcomes

• Interpret Concurrent Care for Children, as written in federal legislation H.R.3590 – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
• Differentiate hospice pediatric concurrent care from the adult hospice benefit
• Recall three resources for the implementation of concurrent care in a Medicare-certified hospice