(a) The department may provide direct hospice services for terminally ill inmates and defendants confined in facilities operated by the department or may contract with a licensed hospice for the provision of those services. Hospice services established by the department shall meet licensure standards established under Chapter 142, Health and Safety Code, except for those standards which are determined to be in conflict with security considerations in the institutional setting.
(b) In this section, “hospice” and “hospice services” have the meanings assigned to those terms by § 142.001, Health and Safety Code.