HUMANE CARE VS. FUTILE CARE as life ends is the subject of a major article in N.Y. Times Thursday Sept. 18. Panel Urges Overhauling Health Care At End of Life discusses a report issued this week by a 21 member panel of Institute of Medicine, the research arm of National Academy of Sciences. This is the latest salvo in a growing number of studies that are looking at end of life care: its costs, both emotional, spiritual and financial. Other organizations, such as C-TAC (Coaliton to Transform Advanced Care) and Lown Institute, are in the midst of this discussion. Part of the suggestions again urged that Medicare and other insurers create financial incentives for health care providers to have continuing conversations with patients on advanced care planning, possibly as early as major teen-age milestones like getting a drivers license or going to college. The panel also called for a reorientation and restructuring of Medicare and Medicare to facllitate more humane care at the end of life to the exclusion of agressive treatments and tests that may not be mandated or desired. Dr. Victor J. Dzau, president of the Institute of Medicine closed the article by noting that: Patient;s dont die in the manner they prefer. The time is now for our nation to develop a modernized end-of-life care system (nytimes)
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:05:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015