400.610  Administration and management of a hospice.--

(1)  A hospice shall have a clearly defined organized governing body, consisting of a minimum of seven persons who are representative of the general population of the community served. The governing body shall have autonomous authority and responsibility for the operation of the hospice and shall meet at least quarterly. The governing body shall:

(a)  Adopt an annual plan for the operation of the hospice, which shall include a plan for providing for uncompensated care and philanthropic community activities.

(b)  Prepare a disaster preparedness plan.

(c)  Adopt an annual budget.

(d)  Appoint a director who shall be responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the hospice and who shall serve as the liaison between the governing body and the hospice staff.

(e)  Undertake such additional activities as necessary to ensure that the hospice is complying with the requirements for hospice services as set forth in this part.

(2)  Each hospice shall develop and implement a comprehensive quality assurance and utilization review plan to be used for ongoing internal evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the hospice services provided. Each hospice shall take the corrective actions identified by the review and report a summary of these actions to the governing body at least annually.

(3)  Each hospice shall ensure that adequate policies, procedures, and systems are developed and implemented to provide effective delivery of services.