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Legal and moral reasons prevent most Oregon hospices from participation in 'Death with Dignity Act'

A survey in the latest issue of the Hastings Center Report found that most hospices in Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assistance in dying, either do not participate in or have limited participation in requests for such assistance. Both legal and moral reasons are identified.

10 Sep 2010

Using opioids at end-of-life care proves effective to control pain

Patients who choose to spend their last days at home with specialized care and monitoring can safely be given opioids to control pain and other symptoms without reducing survival time, according to a study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine (JPM), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

10 Sep 2010

Health law rollout effects: Delivering 'accountable' care, device tax, nursing mothers

Today's updates on the continuing implementation of the health law include Medicare chief Don Berwick's behind the scenes push for 'accountable care organizations,' tax anxiety in the medical device industry, and the promise of new help for pregnant women.

8 Sep 2010

Medicare will experiment with expansion of hospice coverage

In this Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "Many people may not realize that, in some ways, the new health law will expand options for patients at the end of life.

7 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Pawlenty's order against the health overhaul, repealing the health law and more about health care costs

The move can be explained in no other way than in being a totally partisan decision, intended to shore up his conservatism in what will be a 2012 battle of who is more conservative to wear the Republican mantle for president (9/1).

2 Sep 2010

McKesson announces winners of 2010 Distinguished Achievement Awards program

Today McKesson announced Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage, Calif.) and HealthEast Care System (St. Paul, Minn.) as the winners of the 2010 Distinguished Achievement Award competition. The annual awards program recognizes organizations' outstanding use of McKesson's healthcare information technology (IT) solutions to enhance care delivery and improve operational efficiency.

24 Aug 2010

Palliative care prolongs metastatic lung cancer patient’s life: Study

A precedent-setting study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, August 19 demonstrates definitively that early referrals to palliative care prolongs life for patients living with metastatic lung cancer.

21 Aug 2010

California radio report examines end of life care

KQED's California Report/Health Dialogues reports on end-of-life care and the roles culture and insurance play. In considering end of life care, "sometimes there's disagreement within a family, and cultural and generational differences can complicate what is already an emotionally fraught situation.

21 Aug 2010

Cancer patients may live longer with palliative and hospice care services: Study

A new study released by the New England Journal of Medicine found that among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, those who received palliative care lived, on average, almost two months longer than those who received standard care. Researchers also found that the patients receiving palliative care reported a higher quality of life through the final course of their illness.

20 Aug 2010

Palliative care recipients live longer and in less pain, study finds

The New York Times: "In a study that sheds new light on the effects of end-of-life care, doctors have found that patients with terminal lung cancer who began receiving palliative care immediately upon diagnosis not only were happier, more mobile and in less pain as the end neared — but they also lived nearly three months longer.

20 Aug 2010

Gentiva closes acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today announced the closing of its acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare, Inc. in an all cash transaction for a price of $27 per share of Odyssey common stock, without interest, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.0 billion, including fees and expenses.

18 Aug 2010

HealthWyse announces launch of new web-based program

HealthWyse, a leading provider of home health and hospice agency automation software, announced today that it has launched StartWyse, a web-based program for small Certified Home Healthcare and Hospice agencies. The StartWyse program offers customers an affordable opportunity to rapidly transition to a paperless environment using HealthWyse's clinical and financial software.

12 Aug 2010

Odyssey HealthCare announces stockholder approval for acquisition by Gentiva Health Services

Odyssey HealthCare, Inc., one of the largest providers of hospice care in the United States, today announced that its stockholders have adopted the previously announced merger agreement providing for the acquisition of Odyssey by Gentiva Health Services, Inc.. At today's special meeting of Odyssey stockholders, holders of approximately 80.4% of the outstanding shares of Odyssey common stock entitled to vote at the meeting voted to adopt the merger agreement and approve the merger.

10 Aug 2010

Chemed declares quarterly cash dividend

Chemed Corporation announced today that the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 14-cents per share on the Company's capital stock, payable on September 7, 2010, to shareholders of record as of August 16, 2010. This is a 2-cent, or 16.7%, increase over the 12-cent dividend paid in the second quarter of 2010. The previous dividend increase was in August 2009, when the Board raised the dividend from 6-cents to 12-cents per share. This represents the 157th consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Chemed in its 39 years as a public company.

7 Aug 2010

The Ensign Group second-quarter total revenue up 19.5%

The Ensign Group, Inc., the parent company of the Ensign group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services, home health, hospice care and assisted living companies, today reported record results for the second quarter of 2010.

7 Aug 2010

Harden Healthcare acquires Voyager HospiceCare, combined company to provide healthcare services in 13 states

Harden Healthcare announced today the purchase of Voyager HospiceCare. Headquartered in Austin, the combined company will provide healthcare services in 13 states and will employ approximately 32,000 full-time and part-time associates in nearly 200 locations.

5 Aug 2010

National Research acquires OCS through stock purchase agreement

National Research Corporation today announced it has acquired, via stock purchase agreement, Outcome Concept Systems, Inc., a privately-held healthcare informatics firm, in an all-cash transaction.

4 Aug 2010

Amplicare introduces new Mobile Companion

Amplicare, a market leader in web-based Hospice, Home Health and Skilled Nursing applications for marketing extends their reach into mobile devices with Amplicare's new Mobile Companion.

31 Jul 2010

Gentiva Health Services second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297.1 million

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported second quarter 2010 results.

29 Jul 2010

Expanded Kindred Hospital Sacramento opened in Folsom, California

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today announced the opening of the newly constructed and expanded Kindred Hospital Sacramento in Folsom, California, and the expansion of its Peoplefirst HomeCare and Hospice business in Boston, Massachusetts, and Denver, Colorado.