Literature Review

Assisted dying bill introduced in Parliament BBC News; 7/26/24 A bill which would allow terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live to get medical help to end their own lives has been introduced in the House of Lords, by former Labour Justice Secretary Lord Falconer. He told the BBC his bill would apply only to people "mentally able to make the decision." Their choice would also need to be approved by two doctors and the high court. Private members' bills introduced in the Lords rarely become law. However, Lord Falconer says he hopes a backbench MP will introduce a similar bill in the Commons, where it will have a greater chance of success.

Hospice of the Ozarks accepting submissions for Pet Peace of Mind Calendar Contest KTLO.com; by Staff; 7/27/24 Hospice of the Ozarks is holding its annual contest to benefit the program supporting the bond between hospice patients and their pets. There is still time to enter a photo submission for the Pet Peace of Mind Calendar Contest. ...Pet Peace of Mind is a national program the staff at Hospice of the Ozarks has been proud to be associated with for more than 10 years. ... Calendars are expected to be available in October. The cost for the 2025 calendar will be $10.Editor's Note: Typically, we do not post hospice fundraisers until results are complete. (Typically, you--our readers--will not be attend or contribute to events in process.) However, we post this fundraiser as an example of exceptionally creative, fun, meaningful initiative that focuses on the organization's patients, families, and community. These photo calendars are sure to be keepsakes for years ahead. Click here for Hospice of the Ozarks' 2025 Calendar Contest information. Click here for Pet Peace of Mind. 

[Community & Caregivers] Stay ahead of Medicare fraudsters The NB Xpress, North Baltimore, OH; by Sue Miklovic; 7/26/24 Every day, criminals target older Americans with one goal – to steal their Medicare numbers and other protected health information. To fraudsters, this information is just as valuable as credit card information. These criminals steal Medicare numbers and unlawfully bill Medicare for medical services that were never provided to the patient or overbill for provided services. ... Consider these tips to help protect yourself against Medicare fraud and stay one step ahead of fraudsters: ...

How well does Medicare cover end-of-life care? It depends on what type Medical Xpress; by Mark Harden, CU Anschutz Medical Campus; 7/19/24 Not all versions of Medicare are created equal—and when it comes to end-of-life care, some versions may serve a patient's needs better than others. That's the focus of newly published research by Lauren Hersch Nicholas, Ph.D., MPP, a University of Colorado Department of Medicine and CU Cancer Center health economist, and her colleagues. The researchers analyzed the experiences of more than a million people receiving Medicare-funded services in the last six months of their lives. ... Their paper was published July 19 in JAMA Health Forum. What Nicholas and her colleagues found is that the kind of Medicare a patient is enrolled in can make a difference in whether that patient gets certain treatments, and whether the patient dies in a hospital or in hospice care.

Top Projects of 2023: Our Lady of Peace Finance & Commerce, Minnesota Business; by Kate Leibsle; 7/19/24 Jamey Flannery and her team at Flannery Construction took seriously their obligation not just to their client, Our Lady of Peace, but to the patients, their families, and staff to make the construction project at the hospice center as smooth and transparent as possible. Limiting disruptions when you are renovating or adding on to an existing, occupied building is always important, but when the facility you are working on is a hospice center, it becomes paramount. ... The project turned the facility’s 21 double-occupancy rooms into private suites. Each room now is big enough for family and friends to gather in a living area, have a TV and offer more privacy, Flannery said.

Ethical challenges in the treatment of patients with severe anorexia nervosa Psychiatry Online; by Patricia Westmoreland, MD; Jole Yager, MD; Jonathan Treem, MD; and Philip S. Mehler, MD; 7/15/24 Ethical principles assist us in determining the best course of action with regard to patients with [anorexia nervosa] AN. The vast majority of patients with AN should be offered high-quality, restorative-informed care. But for a minority of patients (e.g., those with SE-AN) other treatment options need to be considered. Clinicians are obliged to realistically assess each patient’s potential for recovery or ability to engage in harm reduction and palliative care approaches, and be cognizant of the wishes of the patient, family, and treatment team. In addition, the burden on caregivers and stewardship in the expenditure of health care resources should also be considered when deciding whether involuntary treatment, harm reduction, palliative care, or end-of-life care be recommended for a particular patient.

Why home health providers should expect to see a ‘less draconian’ final payment rule Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 7/22/24 As home health providers continue to digest the proposed payment rule for 2025, National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) President William A. Dombi believes that the industry will ultimately see a comparatively toned down final rule. “We believe we will not end up with this proposed rule as a final rule,” he said during the opening presentation at NAHC’s Financial Management Conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. “We will end up with something less draconian. The cuts will be reduced because, No. 1, that’s what they’ve done for the last several years, and, No. 2, it’s an election year.” Even with a prediction of a “less draconian” final payment rule, NAHC is still gearing up to fight against home health cuts and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) payment-setting methodologies.

Sasha McAllum Pilkington on grace and storytelling at the end of life Psychotherapy.net; by Lawrence Rubin; 7/22/24 Narrative Clinician, Sasha McAllum Pilkington [of New Zealand],  shares poignant stories she co-created with hospice clients which honor and celebrate their lives. [This interview includes: ...

Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying. He said, “I was finally the husband, that most the time I wasn’t. And I became a friend a friend would like to have…” ~Tim McGraw, Live Like You Were Dying

End-of-life care is a profound and essential aspect of medical practice Market.US Media, New York; by Samruddhi Yardi; 7/19/24 According to End-of-Life Care Statistics, End-of-life care, also known as palliative care, refers to the comprehensive medical, emotional, and psychological support provided to individuals who are nearing the end of their lives, often due to terminal illnesses or conditions. [This article includes data on the following:]

The Uniform Determination of Death Act is not changing. Will physicians continue to misdiagnose brain death?The American Journal of  Bioethics; Michael Nair-Collins; 7/24Efforts to revise the Uniform Determination of Death Act [UDDA] in order to align law with medical practice have failed. It has long been common practice to declare some patients dead by neurologic criteria even though they do not meet the legal standard for death. Thus, legally living people will continue to be declared dead, not because of a mistake, but because of a choice. The decision to continue misdiagnosing death according to the law will create routine violations of civil rights, will continue to violate the DDR [dead donor rule] that allegedly is such an important red line for organ transplantation, and will contribute to a well-deserved mistrust in the determination of death.

"I often just don't know what to say!": Variations in multidisciplinary palliative care clinicians' confidence and needs related to spiritual care American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Megan Miller, William E Rosa, Haley Buller, Meghan McDarby, Betty R Ferrell; 7/22/24 online ahead of print Spiritual care is a core component of high-quality palliative care, yet gaps exist in spiritual care provision. ... Findings reveal varied levels of confidence with spiritual care across dimensions. Chaplains reported the highest levels of confidence compared with nurses and social workers. Key areas of knowledge/skills to improve spiritual care provision were: (1) Training and support for clinicians in spiritual care; (2) Strategies for providing spiritual care to patients from diverse cultural and/or religious backgrounds; (3) Better understanding of specific populations and contexts that may affect spiritual care provision; and (4) Clinicians' personal growth & practices to improve spiritual care.

Palliative Medicine - June 2024 Issue