Pediatric Concurrent Care

Concurrent care is for all children with a life-limiting diagnosis to continue to receive curative or life-prolonging treatment along with hospice care, avoiding the impossible choice between life-prolonging and hospice care.

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law enacting a new provision, Section 2302, termed the “Concurrent Care for Children” Requirement (CCCR). CCCR requires state Medicaid programs to pay for both curative, live prolonging treatment and hospice services for children under the age of 21 who qualify.

Prior to the ACA, both children and adults had to have (1) a 6-month prognosis and (2) forego any life-prolonging, curative treatments to enroll in hospice. With concurrent care, pediatric patients must still meet the 6-month prognosis, but do not have to choose between life-prolonging, curative care and hospice. Life prolonging treatments are any therapies, medications, equipment, or modalities related to the serious illness which may postpone a child’s death.

NHPCO Resources

• • • Private Insurance Concurrent Care Toolkit (May 2024)
    • Determination of Hospice Medication Coverage in Children (Jan. 2016)
    • Pediatric Concurrent Care Briefing (2016)
    • Pediatric Concurrent Care Briefing (2013)
    • Concurrent Care for Children Implementation Toolkit (May 2024)

Other Resources

• • • University of Tennessee, Knoxville Pediatric End-of-Life Care Research

Related Pediatric E-Journal Issues

• • • Issue 33: The Affordable Care Act and Concurrent Care for Children (Nov. 2013)

Education

• • • NHPCO Webinars/On-Line Learning/Conferences
      What Adult Providers Need to Know to Care for Children (Webinar –Recorded Oct 28, 2021)
    • External Education
      Nothing applicable at this time.

Marketplace
Nothing applicable at this time.

Have a question or find a broken link? Email us at pediatrics@NHPCO.org.