Nursing home residents who had Physician’s Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment significantly increased the likelihood that their treatment preferences were documented in their medical record, a statewide facility study has shown.
Black patients seek substantially more intensive medical treatment in the last six months of life than whites, a study shows. The investigators recommend that more healthcare providers are trained to promote the discussion of end-of-life preferences in Black populations.
The first national organization to officially endorse the adoption of a national Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form has emerged.
I found it stunning when I recently read that more than a half million people had taken advantage of new Medicare coverage that pays for end-of-life discussions with their doctors. And there was hardly a peep about it.
The Obama administration has opted to remove any mention of end-of-life care planning from a Medicare regulation that took effect at the beginning of the year, The New York Times reported.
A controversial provision to allow Medicare to reimburse for end-of-life planning consultations could be making a comeback, according to reports.
