| News for physicians caring for the seriously ill |  |
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- Survey: Preventing admissions is top issue for home health groups
A survey of more than 1,000 home health care agencies showed avoiding hospital admissions is their top patient care concern and that most hospitalization reduction strategies do not raise costs. The survey, by Delta Health Technologies and several home care and hospice groups, found that four main strategies are used to reduce admissions but that success was related to implementation rather than the type chosen. Healthcare Finance News
(2/27)     
| Palliative & Hospice Care Update | | |
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- Study supports palliative care for advanced esophageal cancer
A multimodal approach that is individualized and includes palliative care results in acceptable mean survival times for patients with advanced esophageal cancer, Austrian researchers reported in the journal Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. They said initial use of photodynamic therapy led to significantly longer median survival. Additional palliative treatments included endoscopic dilatation, radiation, chemotherapy, stenting, endoluminal brachytherapy, feeding tube and palliative resection. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News
(2/27)
- 5 U.S. hospitals get first advanced palliative care certifications
The Joint Commission awarded five U.S. hospitals the first advanced certifications for palliative care through a program an official said has "taken off faster" than any other commission certification initiative. Financing palliative care programs can be an issue for hospitals because there is no billing code for it, and programs face challenges because they do not generate revenue, there are misperceptions about palliative care and there are too few trained staff. HealthLeaders Media
(2/28)
- Nurses have important role in end-of-life care issues
Nurses play an important role in helping patients with medical directives and deciding what type of end-of-life care they want, and they should be educated about hospice and palliative options. Jennie Roberts, chief nursing officer at Evercare Hospice & Palliative Care–UnitedHealth Group in Denver says many factors contribute to how a patient's wishes for end-of-life care mesh with what really occurs at the time of death. NurseZone.com
(2/24)
| Patient & Family Perspective | | |
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- Physician: U.S. needs more hospice, palliative care services
The U.S. must provide better end-of-life care because too many patients die in hospitals and too few are offered hospice services or palliative care, writes Dr. Glenn Braunstein, Department of Medicine chairman at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Patients should discuss care preferences with physicians and create advance directives, he writes. The Huffington Post
(2/27)
- Young adults face end-of-life differently than elderly
Megan Pilling of Utah, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27, and other young adults look at the possibility of dying differently than the elderly do. Pilling fights aggressively but keeps a bucket list in hand. Experts say society has an attitude of denial toward the death of children and young adults, which can complicate the palliative care decisions of patients and families. The Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
(2/27)
| Medical Research | | |
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- Study: Some antipsychotics increase death risk in dementia patients
Researchers who analyzed data of more than 75,000 U.S. nursing home residents age 65 and older found that
certain antipsychotics increased the risk of dying in elderly dementia patients. The mortality risk doubled for patients who received haloperidol compared with those who took risperidone, while risk of death was lower among those who received quetiapine. The findings were published in medial journal BMJ. HealthDay News
(2/24)
- Sodium phosphate enemas could be fatal for elderly, report finds
A small study in Archives of Internal Medicine found that the use of sodium phosphate enemas to relieve constipation could cause kidney failure or death in the elderly. Researchers examined the cases of 11 patients aged 61 to 89 whose kidneys failed after using enemas containing sodium phosphate. Out of 11 patients, five died and three needed long hospital stays. Reuters
(2/24)
| Health Policy & Practice | | |
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- Panel endorses COPD drug aclidinium bromide for FDA approval
An FDA advisory panel voted to approve Forest Laboratories' aclidinium bromide, a long-acting anticholinergic inhaler for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Advisers agreed that clinical data provide substantial evidence on therapeutic benefit and called for post-marketing research on cardiovascular safety. The FDA is expected to make a decision by April 23. Family Practice News
(2/23)
| Trends & Technology | | |
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| AAHPM News | | |
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