Increasing Physician Referrals
April 3, 2012 | 
Author
Here are ten steps to increase your hospice referrals. These are from the notes of Tasha Beauchamp from her recent learning from an NHPCO conference Read the rest of this entry »
April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day
"All that is certain in life is Death and Taxes."
-- Benjamin Franklin
You've taken care of one. Let's talk about the other Read the rest of this entry »
Dr. Atul Gawande at NHPCO Conference
Dr. Gawande said that his picture of hospice was the people with the IV morphine. Thus, he was surprised when a very energetic, 29 year old hospice nurse arrived asking his patient, “How may I help you today?” Read the rest of this entry »
Gen X Family Caregivers
By 2030 there will be 3 seniors for every "kid." And in an age of divorce, the caregiving complexities go up by the square (step-parents, half-siblings, step-siblings...). Nearly half of Boomers have been divorced, so their kids now have 2 households to juggle.
And many men are estranged from their children. In the divorce, "mom kept the kids," physically and emotionally. Read the rest of this entry »
Social media and family caregivers
Trending data show that from 2009 to 2010, participation in social networking nearly doubled for the boomers. Its popularity is clearly on the rise. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Communication, Education, Media, Research, Social Media | 
Tags: Facebook, social media | 
7 Comments »
Reaching family caregivers using the Internet
As we seek to spread the word, I think we need to look to raising awareness among family caregivers. In fact, at NHPCO in October, I heard that direct-from-family referrals is the fastest growing referral source. Read the rest of this entry »
Palliative Care and the Care Continuum
Twice a year I attend and present at conferences. I use this opportunity to network and see what non-wired clinicians are understanding as the "next big thing." Right now, the big news seems to be accountable care organizations (ACOs), electronic medical records (EMRs) and how to fit into the care continuum. Read the rest of this entry »
Using media advocacy to raise awareness
Many of us wonder about how to give hospice and palliative care greater visibility. One of the most productive efforts in this regard was "On Our Own Terms," a PBS Bill Moyers documentary that aired in 2000. It very sensitively explored the gap between what people say they want for end-of-life care and what they receive. Read the rest of this entry »
Watching videos helps patients make EOL decisions
The CBS Evening News ran a story last week that highlighted the fact that 25% of all Medicare spending (about $100 billion) occurs during the last year of life, in part because patients are receiving futile, aggressive treatments. The news story featured a 53 year old woman who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It also talked compassionately about how difficult it is as a doctor to tell a patient that curative treatment is not likely to be effective.
Subscribe Free: JPM Updates
Follow this JPM Blog
