Some time ago, my AAHPM teammate (and social media maven) Jennifer Bose asked me if I’d write a blog post on my experience at the Assembly today. I’d be lying if said I was anything less than brimming with excitement about the prospect. You see, this is my second Assembly as a member of the … Read morePOTENTIAL ENERGY. ACTIVATION. KINETIC ENERGY.
Has this happened to you? Your elderly patient can’t sleep their last night in the hospital before being discharged home with hospice care so the on-call physician orders a sedative-hypnotic. When the patient becomes confused and agitated, a CT scan of the head is ordered. Or how about this one: Your patient with stage IV … Read moreChoosing Wisely in Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Since 2010, I have been actively engaged The Personal Caring Initiative at Mayo Clinic Health System and I have given a lot of thought to the future of caring for seriously ill people and spent many hours in front of diverse audiences talking about health care and palliative care. Most recently, I have created a … Read moreA Paradigm Shift in Medicine
Yesterday, July 19, AAHPM’s efforts in crafting legislation aimed at expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary education and training in palliative care came to fruition when the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) was introduced in the United States Congress. The bill was introduced as S.3407 by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and as H.R.6155 … Read moreIt is time for you to act! Help expand the palliative care workforce.
by Chad D. Kollas, MD FACP FCLM FAAHPM Read the full article from the summer issue of AAHPM Quarterly. No matter where you live, if you’ve practiced palliative care long enough, one of your patients has asked you about medical marijuana. “Does it help pain? Does it help nausea or poor appetite? And, perhaps the … Read moreMedical Marijuana: What Should Palliative Care Specialists Know?
So what is REMS and why should we care?
Thoughts on Local Sausage-making and DC: I spent an evening walking from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol Building last week. Although the classic reference about legislation is “sausage-making” and something you don’t want to watch, I found the area by the capital buildings an especially peaceful spot to stop and admire the view … Read moreAAHPM Calls on Washington (and you should be in touch with your local folk!)