Advocacy

My Time as an American Advocacy Focal Point for the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care

By: Kristin Forner, MD FAAHPM As an inpatient palliative care clinician, I often feel that my day-to-day clinical work is arduous and sorrowful, and I leave the hospital most days having only helped a handful of people.  Having just come off the opiate epidemic in Appalachia, I moved to Washington, D.C. and my urban hospital … Read moreMy Time as an American Advocacy Focal Point for the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care

The NCHPC Structure, Key Activities and Ongoing Projects

Coalition Blog – #2 – Welcome to the second Coalition Blog Post! For a brief description of the Coalition, please see our previous blog. Our nine Coalition Member Organizations and staff work collaboratively on a number of Coalition activities that can be categorized into two large “buckets” of work: Standard Coalition Activities (i.e., advancing the … Read moreThe NCHPC Structure, Key Activities and Ongoing Projects

Quick Take on the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: 5 Things You Should Know

By Phillip E. Rodgers, MD FAAHPM Co-chair, AAHPM Public Policy Committee and Quality-Payment Working Group AAHPM Representative, American Medical Association/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update (RUC) Advisory Committee On Nov. 15, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule. (Access a CMS Fact Sheet.)  Each … Read moreQuick Take on the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: 5 Things You Should Know

Advancements on PCHETA Bill

Read the official press release from the Alzheimer’s Association and Hospice of Southern Maine. Pingree, Collins, local agencies advocate passage of Palliative Care and Hospice education bill Legislation would provide expanded education, training, research and awareness of palliative care impact SCARBOROUGH, Maine (Sept. 19, 2016) – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree joined representatives of the Alzheimer’s Association, … Read moreAdvancements on PCHETA Bill

Medicare Pay for Advance Care Planning Doesn’t Fall That Short

By Phil Rodgers, MD FAAHPM AAHPM Public Policy Committee Co-chair and RUC Advisor Dr. Jennifer Brokaw’s article from Time magazine linked in the 11/10 SmartBrief concludes that CMS payment for advance care planning (ACP) services, that will start January 1, 2016, is inadequate to support the time necessary for physicians and qualified providers to provide … Read moreMedicare Pay for Advance Care Planning Doesn’t Fall That Short

Organizational Advocacy Key to Promoting Advance Care Planning… Now it’s Time for Individuals to Make Their Voices Heard!

By Gregg VandeKieft, MD MA FAAFP FAAHPM Co-chair, AAHPM Public Policy Committee The following is part of a three-post progressive blog about advance care planning, prompted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) decision not to pay for the new “complex” advance care planning codes in this year’s Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Now is … Read moreOrganizational Advocacy Key to Promoting Advance Care Planning… Now it’s Time for Individuals to Make Their Voices Heard!

Moving PCHETA on Capitol Hill: A Q&A with the Academy’s Lobbyist

Years of Academy effort to develop legislation that expands opportunities for interdisciplinary education and training in palliative care paid off last summer when the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) was introduced in Congress by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-16). (Access a summary of the bill.) In March … Read moreMoving PCHETA on Capitol Hill: A Q&A with the Academy’s Lobbyist

The Role of Individual Advocacy in State Efforts to Promote Palliative Care

by Amjad Riar, MD Nearly a decade ago, during my training as a third-year medical resident, one of my rotations in oncology was at Johns Hopkins. One of the responsibilities was to admit patients with advanced cancers, and I saw oncological emergencies for seriously ill cancer patients. This ignited the thought in my mind that … Read moreThe Role of Individual Advocacy in State Efforts to Promote Palliative Care

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Commit to ‘Choosing Wisely’

by Larry Beresford On February 21 AAHPM, on behalf of its members and the specialty of hospice and palliative medicine, joined with 15 other medical societies to introduce Round Two of Choosing Wisely, a major national health care quality initiative sponsored by the ABIM Foundation. In a health care system undergoing rapid reforms, serious turmoil … Read moreHospice and Palliative Medicine Commit to ‘Choosing Wisely’