Requires residential health care facilities to maintain hospice agreements to ensure access to hospice services for eligible residents

This bill requires residential health care facilities to sign written agreements with licensed hospice programs to guarantee hospice services for eligible residents. The agreements must outline care coordination, including timely referrals, staff responsibilities, symptom management, medication oversight, emergency communication, and information sharing. The state health department will provide guidance and model contracts to help facilities and hospice programs implement these requirements. Facilities that fail to comply with the new agreement requirements could face enforcement actions. The law will take effect 100 days after becoming official.