Health Affairs January 31, 2023
This article makes a case for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to include spiritual care as a covered service for persons eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare (dual eligibles) enrolled in capitated managed-care plans. Spiritual services are an oft neglected but important part of comprehensive care. While CMS and its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (the Innovation Center) have taken significant steps in the right direction, much more needs to be done; specifically, CMS could require providers in the Fully Integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (FIDE SNPs) and PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) to provide enrollees with spiritual assessments and spiritual care as optional services, among other steps.
Spiritual Care Promotes Wellness...