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
by Jordan Endicott, JD Manager, Health Policy & Advocacy I’ve worked in the health care related field for nearly the entirety of my professional career, but surprisingly, the last time I had stepped foot in a hospital was at age 10 when I broke my wrist. When I was offered the opportunity to visit Drs. … Read moreNotes from the Field
by Jen Bose, Marketing & Membership Manager Working with AAHPM for several years has allowed me to get to know some of our members fairly well. I look forward to the Annual Assembly and summer courses each year because I get to connect with members in real life. When the opportunity for Jordan Endicott, Manager … Read moreA Day in the Life…
By Joseph D. Rotella More and more academic centers are developing interprofessional education (IPE) programs to teach palliative care− and it makes good sense. Seriously ill patients and their families suffer as whole human beings and it takes a village of palliative care providers from different disciplines working together to comfort, support, and heal them. … Read moreBack to the Old Schoolhouse − Students of Different Professions Learn Palliative Care Together
I entered my Palliative Care and Hospice Fellowship in July of 2014, having previously weighed the benefits and burdens of grandfathering in vs. fellowship training. Encouraged by colleagues and my employer I hoped to pursue an experience that would be richer than on the job training and book learning. I did my research before applying … Read moreA Fellowship Does Matter
My Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Chris Hughes, and I have been discussing leadership and communication, as we promote the development of effective behavior in ourselves and in our staff. During a recent chat about one tome on the subject, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Dr. Hughes succinctly summarized … Read moreAre You a Leader or a Jerk?
Dear Education Colleagues, Are you familiar with all the ICD-10 changes coming your way? Are you certain exactly where to find morphology codes? What has the 8-week rule regarding initial and subsequent MIs changed to? How does laterality effect your coding? How will you correctly code for symptom treatment? What about the management of terminal … Read moreICD-10 Program Focusing on Hospice and Palliative Care
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!
Recently, I attended the yearly National Seminar given by the Center to Advance Palliative Care. I was honored to be a member of the faculty and on the planning committee. The attendance was over 900- up over 50% from a year ago- a tribute both to the growth of palliative care as a discipline and … Read moreIntegrating with Palliative Care- Opportunities and Challenges
A recent morning brought the news that 29 year-old Brittany Maynard had ended her life rather than continue what she perceived to be intolerable suffering from an incurable brain tumor. About an hour later I watched a sports report on college freshman, Lauren Hall who the previous day fulfilled her dream of playing in a … Read moreSuffering is in the Eyes of the Beholder