Hospice News and Research

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Consumer guides about part-time workers, Medigap coverage and navigating medical costs

News outlets offer consumer guides about health insurance.

30 Jun 2010

Hospice care falls as more Americans spend final days in hospitals; Milwaukee hospital reports success with treatment guidelines

The Associated Press: "Americans increasingly are treated to death, spending more time in hospitals in their final days, trying last-ditch treatments that often buy only weeks of time, and racking up bills that have made medical care a leading cause of bankruptcies. More than 80 percent of people who die in the United States have a long, progressive illness such as cancer, heart failure or Alzheimer's disease."

29 Jun 2010

VA secretary breaks ground for new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center in New Orleans

Fulfilling President Obama's commitment to rebuild New Orleans, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki joined state and local officials for a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

28 Jun 2010

Florida State University College of Medicine to produce set of medical orders for dying patient's care

Living wills and advance directives often don't ensure that dying patients receive the kind of medical care they want — or don't want — to receive. Now an effort being coordinated by the Center for Innovative Collaboration in Medicine & Law at the Florida State University College of Medicine hopes to improve communication and produce a clear set of medical orders for a dying patient's care.

24 Jun 2010

Lawyer chronicles history, evolution of advance directives

When first developed in the 1970s, advance directives focused on providing specific legal instructions, such as a patient's wishes to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment in cases of terminal illness or incapacity. The documents helped physicians avoid legal problems associated with fulfilling the patient's wishes.

19 Jun 2010

Hospitals work to reduce wait times, readmission rates

The Baltimore Sun writes about hospitals working to reduce emergency room wait times and then advertising the results. "St. Joseph Medical Center [in Towson, Md.] posts the anticipated wait time on its website. Harbor Hospital in South Baltimore has put up billboards and handed out brochures door-to-door to tell residents about its 'quick' emergency room experience.

19 Jun 2010

Yearlong collaborative partnership launched to reduce hospital readmissions due to heart failure

More than 5 million individuals in the United States suffer from chronic heart failure, making it one of the most common reasons for hospitalizations and readmissions. To address this costly issue, the New Jersey Hospital Association's Institute for Quality and Patient Safety this week launched a yearlong collaborative partnership to reduce hospital readmissions due to heart failure and improve the quality of healthcare in New Jersey.

18 Jun 2010

Gary Coleman's death highlights importance of end-of-life decisions

Actor Gary Coleman's death is highlighting the importance of who makes your end-of-life decisions and is drawing attention to the fact that having a "living will" does not always guarantee that your wishes will be carried out, CNN reports.

18 Jun 2010

Guardian Home Care Holdings, Cardiocom provide home telehealth technology to patients with chronic illnesses

Guardian Home Care Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of home care and hospice services, announced it has entered into a business relationship with Cardiocom to provide advanced home telehealth technology to patients with chronic illnesses. Cardiocom is a developer, manufacturer and clinical service provider of award-winning telehealth solutions.

7 Jun 2010

American Cancer Society and NPCRC award $1.8M for palliative care research

The American Cancer Society and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) are awarding $1.8 million in research grants to researchers at 12 institutions for studies aimed at reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their family caregivers. The studies will be conducted over the next two years. Since 2007, a collaborative effort by the organizations has awarded 51 grants totaling almost $7 million.

4 Jun 2010

State roundup: Health law could be critical for Miss.'s poor; Colorado passes end-of-life care laws, Penn. details plan for high risk pool

The health care overhaul, which "provides hundreds of billions of dollars to help states expand medical insurance for the poor," could prove critical for Mississippi, which "has the highest poverty rate in the nation and some of the sickest people, with the country's highest rate of heart disease and the second-highest rate of diabetes.

4 Jun 2010

Gentiva purchase of Odyssey would create largest U.S. home health and hospice provider

A plan from Gentiva Health Services to buy Odyssey HealthCare for almost $1 billion would create the largest U.S. provider of home health and hospice care, The Associated Press reports. "The boards of both companies have approved the acquisition, which is expected to close in the third quarter, pending approval by regulators and Odyssey stockholders.

25 May 2010

LHC Group, Idaho Home Health and Hospice announce definitive agreement

LHC Group, Inc., a national provider of home health and hospice, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with Idaho Home Health and Hospice. Founded in 1977, Idaho Home Health and Hospice is a Joint Commission Accredited home health and hospice provider which currently serves 28 counties through 9 locations in the state of Idaho.

24 May 2010

Living wills do not represent patients’ treatment preferences in end-of-life scenarios

Living wills often do not represent a patient's actual treatment preferences when faced with real end-of-life circumstances and should be redesigned to guide more realistic advance decision-making, according to a study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

21 May 2010

Canadian Cancer Statistics 2010 focuses on care, support for dying patients

The type and quality of care and services to ensure a cancer patient dies with dignity in the setting of their choice depends on where the person lives in Canada, according to a special report about end-of-life care in Canadian Cancer Statistics 2010, released today by the Canadian Cancer Society.

20 May 2010

Gentiva Health Services to cooperate with Senate Finance Committee's requests

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, announced that it is reviewing a letter that it has been sent by the Senate Finance Committee to all of the publicly traded home healthcare companies and were mentioned in a recent Wall Street Journal article.

15 May 2010

New law could help hospice patients continue aggressive medical treatments

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau, in collaboration with The Philadelphia Inquirer, reports: "After an excruciating bout of chemotherapy, Linda Meisenhelder gave up fighting colon cancer and last fall entered end-of-life hospice care.

11 May 2010

First Edition: May 10, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include the feature coverage of aspects of health reform implementation, including how "gradfathering" will be defined in regulations and the latest details on the early retiree reinsurance program.

10 May 2010

Gentiva Health Services first-quarter total net revenues up 7.5% to $297.1 million

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

6 May 2010

AIDS 2010 to explore latest developments in HIV science

Organizers of the XVIII International AIDS Conference announced today that President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, and South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi will be among 19 high-level speakers who will address an estimated 25,000 conference attendees in Vienna this summer.

4 May 2010