(a) The General Assembly finds that there is an interest in and need for hospice care, an alternative form of health care, for terminally ill patients and their families. The General Assembly further finds that hospice care is an important innovation which should be recognized and encouraged.

(b) Recognizing that hospice programs respond to the need for responsible, compassionate, palliative care for terminally ill persons and for their families, extending into the bereavement period, this General Assembly establishes definitions, standards, and provisions for licensure and regulation for hospice programs in this state.