The end-of-life plan, which is voluntary and requires patient consent, is just one of several parts to the service. The planning was added in the finalized 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, but it was not included in the proposed rule released in July.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that this prevented the public from commenting on the provision during the rulemaking process.
CMS and HHS would not comment on the report Wednesday morning. Also, CMS had not issued any guidance on removing the component to the service.