Specialized Care for Older Hospitalized Adults as a Palliative Care Intervention
October 19, 2013
Hospitals are dangerous places for older adults. Nearly a third of hospitalized older adults are discharged with a new…
Do Not Hospitalize orders for nursing home residents with advanced dementia
October 8, 2013
by: Alex Smith @alexsmithMD Advanced dementia is a terminal illness needing palliative care. Unfortunately, there is a great divide between this…
ePrognosis: What are the Next Steps
October 3, 2013
by: Alex Smith @alexsmithmd We need your help. We’ve come a long way with ePrognosis, our online and now mobile…
Adding Prognosis to Cancer Screening Decisions: The ePrognosis Cancer Screening App
October 2, 2013
The goal of cancer screening is to identify asymptomatic cancer well before it causes symptoms or death. This means that…
Dumb Policy: 3-Night Hospital Requirement for Medicare SNF
September 16, 2013
by: Alex Smith @AlexSmithMD The patient was elderly and was hospitalized for a COPD exacerbation. Fortunately, her breathing problems were…
A Fascinating Case Over Who Has the Right Over The Remains of a Loved One
September 14, 2013
On June 12, Betty Jean Collins of Warsaw, Missouri, executed a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Choices (DPOA-HC)…
Outcomes of In-Hospital CPR: Not as Rosy as Some May Say
September 11, 2013
Back in March, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a study of long-term outcomes among survivors of in-hospital…
Community Health Workers: Key to Reducing Disparities in End-of-Life Care
September 9, 2013
Despite recent attention, dying in the United States is a complex and often suboptimal experience for patients and providers alike…
Cancer Screening in Persons With Dementia. Just Stop It. Please.
August 30, 2013
Cancer Screening is of little benefit in persons with dementia but can cause very serious harms. Older persons with…