Palliative Care and Public Policy in California

Judy Thomas, CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC), delivers an update on recent public policy developments that positively impact POLST and palliative care in California.

Teaching Primary Palliative Care in a Large Health System

Ensuring all clinicians in any setting caring for patients with serious illness have communication and symptom management skills is a top priority—but requires leadership and training. Several models are available.

Dr. Ronit Elk to Address Health Equity in Palliative Care

Ronit Elk, PhD, a renowned researcher, educator and clinician will be a presenter at the 2022 National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research.

Dr. Jean Watson to Address Caring Science in Palliative Care

Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, nurse, author, and nursing professor, best known for her theory of human caring, will deliver the keynote address at the 2022 National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care and Research in San Diego, California.

Symposium to Highlight Research, Education, and Practice

2022 marks the return of the in-person National Symposium event. Back by popular demand is plenary speaker, palliative care leader, researcher, analyst, and author, Jeri Miller, PhD, MS, MSc.

Hearing Aids, Masks, and Telemedicine

The Telemedicine Skills for Clinicians course is self-paced, abundant with “clinical pearls” for enhancing telemedicine patient and family visits for any discipline in any setting, along with practical information on billing, documentation, and compliance.

National Symposium: Come for the Sunshine, Stay for the Program

Jennifer Moore Ballentine, MA, executive director, discusses the theme chosen for the 2022 National Symposium and offers a glimpse of what attendees can expect, from plenary speakers to exhibit opportunities and more.

What Does the Hospice Carve-In Demo Mean for Hospices and Their Business Model?

Hospice innovation points to a world where hospice care is a “carve-in” to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, rather than carved out as a separate benefit provided by Medicare-certified hospices, as it is currently.

Palliative Pain Management Must Include Mitigation of Opioid Misuse

For hospice and palliative care clinicians, pain management is an essential responsibility in managing the symptoms of serious illnesses. But the unabated tragedy of prescription opioid misuse and overdoses requires close attention. Incorporating mitigating approaches into palliative care training is critical.

Hospital at Home and Palliative Care: How Should They Work Together?

Interest in the hospital at home concept has gained momentum as health systems, the Veterans Administration, and managed care organizations are testing the approach for treating seriously ill adults in a more familiar and comfortable setting.

POLST Comes of Age, Moves Toward Greater Standardization

In recent years, Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) has become almost a routine part of the health care system, and it continues to spread and become standardized as more states work to ensure portability, across settings and state lines, through electronic registries.

Can Policy Help to Expand Advance Care Planning?

As the world re-emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, health care advocates work to remove barriers to advance care planning, expand completions of advance directives, and ensure interoperability for advance directives in electronic health records (EHRs).