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Experts debate rationing and end-of-life care; Hospice use rises in Colorado

PBS NewsHour reports on end-of-life decisions and rationing by examining a recent debate at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs. "Arguing for rationing: Ira Byock, a doctor and director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

28 Apr 2010

Hospice Advocates encourage policy makers to protect access to end-of-life care for all Americans

Today 450 Hospice Advocates from across the country took part in the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Capitol Hill Day 2010 by meeting with their U.S. Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill and encouraging policy makers to preserve and protect access to compassionate, high-quality end-of-life care for all Americans.

22 Apr 2010

Evening of Remembrance Memorial Services to be offered in Colma, Palo Alto and Hayward

Pathways Home Health & Hospice is offering Evening of Remembrance Memorial Services in Colma, Palo Alto and Hayward in May. Individuals and families who are grieving will find a place to remember, reflect and honor their lost loved ones.

21 Apr 2010

AACN joins national, state and community organizations in support of NHDD

Because critical care nurses are often among those caring for patients during their final days, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses joins national, state and community organizations in support of the third annual National Healthcare Decisions Day on Friday, April 16, 2010.

21 Apr 2010

NHC opens The Palmettos of Mauldin center

National HealthCare Corporation, one of the nation's leading operators of senior care services, announced today that it has recently opened The Palmettos of Mauldin, a 45 unit assisted living community at 810 E. Butler Road in Mauldin, South Carolina near Greenville.

20 Apr 2010

End-of-life care documentation helps in emergency treatment decisions

When Heather Rubesch was a teenager, her aunt died in need of a kidney transplant. In later family discussions, Heather's mother, Linda, expressed some of her views about end-of-life care—for instance, her belief in organ donation.

19 Apr 2010

Unique collaboration in fetal medicine among Columbus' healthcare professionals

The Columbus Fetal Medicine Collaborative has been formed by Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth, The Ohio State University Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital joining together to provide optimal outcomes for high-risk expectant mothers and their babies with suspected fetal abnormalities.

8 Apr 2010

U.S. hospitals continue to implement palliative care programs at a rapid pace

United States hospitals continue to implement palliative care programs at a rapid pace, according to a new analysis released today by the Center to Advance Palliative Care. Palliative care programs are widely regarded to improve the quality of care of serious and chronic illness.

8 Apr 2010

CBOs implement proven HIV/STD risk-reduction intervention with adolescents

An approach designed to reduce HIV/STDs previously used exclusively by academic researchers has successfully been implemented by community-based organizations (CBOs), an important component in national strategies to curtail the spread of HIV, meaning far more "at risk" youths can be reached.

7 Apr 2010

Amedisys announces acquisition of Alabama hospice agency from Bluewater Healthcare

Amedisys, Inc., one of America's leading home health and hospice companies, today announced that it has acquired a hospice agency located in Killen, Alabama, a Certificate of Need state, from Bluewater Healthcare Inc.

5 Apr 2010

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care begins serving patients with life-limiting diagnoses in Columbus

VITAS, the nation's leading hospice provider, is now serving patients with life-limiting diagnoses and their families in the greater Columbus area, including those in Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties. VITAS also provides quality, compassionate end-of-life care in Ohio to patients and families in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton.

3 Apr 2010

IHCIA made permanent as part of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the cornerstone legal authority for the provision of health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives, was made permanent when President Obama signed the bill on March 23, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

27 Mar 2010

U.S. DEA rules prevent nursing home patients in severe pain from receiving needed medication

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's rules and procedures are seriously delaying and in some cases preventing nursing home patients from getting the pain medication they need.

26 Mar 2010

Palliative care continues to play vital role in the continuum of cancer care: Study

A study from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports that cancer centers in the United States provide patients and their families with palliative care, though the depth, range and integration of programs and services widely vary.

18 Mar 2010

Despite increasing palliative care resources, significant gaps in care delivery remain

Palliative care services are available at most U.S. cancer centers, although the scope of services offered and the degree of integration between palliative care and oncology care varies widely among centers, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer.

17 Mar 2010

Cancer news coverage should also focus on hospice and end-of-life care

Newspaper and magazine reports about cancer appear more likely to discuss aggressive treatment and survival than death, treatment failure or adverse events, and almost none mention end-of-life palliative or hospice care, according to a report in the March 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

17 Mar 2010

Racial disparities persist in hospice use

Even as medical caregivers try to change practices, racial disparities in hospice care continue, according to a study in the March 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Mar 2010

Price for skilled nursing facilities increases in 2009

After dropping 17% in 2008 from an all-time high set in 2007, the average price paid per bed for skilled nursing facilities increased slightly in 2009, according to a new report on the seniors housing and care M&A market to be published by Irving Levin Associates, Inc., a research and publishing firm that tracks mergers and acquisitions in the seniors housing and health care markets.

9 Mar 2010

Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure less likely to receive hospice care

Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure appear less likely to receive hospice care than white patients with the same condition, according to a report in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.