Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2025

S 1936 would test a new payment model for Medicare hospice care, allowing blood transfusions to be paid separately from the standard hospice all-inclusive payment. This change would directly affect hospice patients requiring transfusions and Medicare hospice providers, altering how these services are reimbursed. The bill requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMI) to establish this model within one year, setting transfusion payments at the standard Medicare rate (not the bundled hospice rate). CMI must then evaluate the model by comparing key metrics like hospital visits, transfusion frequency, and hospice care duration between patients in the new model and similar patients not in the model. The goal is to assess whether separate payment improves access to necessary transfusions without increasing overall costs.