SECTION 139.
Section 57D of said chapter 111, as so appearing , is hereby amended by striking out the third paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-
The department shall issue for a term of 2 years and renew for a like term a license to maintain a hospice program to any organization it considers responsible and suitable to maintain such a program. The department may issue not more than 8 licenses under this section to maintain an inpatient hospice program and shall promulgate regulations to govern the issuance of licenses to such programs. Hospice program licensees shall be subject to suspension, revocation or refusal to renew for cause. The department shall determine the fee and renewal of the license. Prior to issuing a new license, and every 4 years thereafter, the department, in consultation with the Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts, shall review the number of inpatient hospice facilities operating under this section, as well as the demand for such facilities, and make recommendations on the appropriate number of inpatient hospice facility licenses that should be available in the commonwealth. The department shall report its recommendations to the executive office of health and human services and the joint committee on public health.