Penalizing Hospitals for Readmissions: Unintended Consequences?
December 2, 2009
Medicare recently started publicly reporting hospital readmission rates as a measure of quality, and there are proposals to financially penalize…
Thoughts on Preventive Medicine
December 1, 2009
You can prevent Heart Attacks You can prevent Strokes You can prevent Colon Cancer You can prevent Cervical Cancer You…
The need for Geriatrics
November 29, 2009
There is an excellentop-edin the Boston Globe from Dr. Lewis Lipsitzthat in clear yet eloquent language makes the case for…
How should costs fit into the conversation about end-of-life care?
November 24, 2009
Diane Meier just tweeted: “60 minutes misses the point- palliative care is about matching treatment to patient goals, NOT stopping…
Does Morphine Stimulate Cancer Growth?
November 24, 2009
Over the last week Reuters, ABC news, MSNBC, BBC News, and more than 75 other outlets reported on how two…
Dying in 14 Minutes of 60 Minutes
November 23, 2009
CBS did a segment entitled “The Cost Of Dying” on tonight’s 60 Minutes. Considering the title of the segment and…
Hospice Upheaval
November 19, 2009
It never occurred to me until today that enrolling my patients in hospice could cause them harm and distress. What…
The Best Town to Die In
November 18, 2009
Palliative Care rooted in the community–this was the topic of a recent Kaiser Health News story which can be found…
Healthy People 2020: Your input is needed
November 16, 2009
Healthy People 2020: Your input is needed! Every 10 years, The US Government produces Healthy People, a statement of the…
Nelson Mandela and Imagery of Aging
November 12, 2009
There is a wonderful article in the New York Times, written by Celia Dugger, that discusses the aging of Nelson…