Announcements

CMS Issues Bulletin Addressing National Provider Identifier

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a revised version of Change Request (CR) 6540, which addresses tracking the hospice attending physician's national provider identifier for validating hospice part B payments. The changes relate to the CR release date, transmittal number, and Web address for accessing the CR. The effective date is January 1, 2010, for hospices to report the National Provider Identifier for the attending physician or nurse practitioner identified by the patient, at the time of his or her election to receive hospice care, as having the most significant role in the determination and delivery of medical care. www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMatte

Three New HPNA Chapters Announced

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) announced the addition of three new chapters: South Central Pennsylvania, Greater Lake Conroe, Texas, and Southern Maine. They received their charters at the organization's annual conference in Boston, March 3–6, 2010. Chapters offer opportunities to get involved at the local level; provide a mechanism for peer support, education, and mentoring; and foster cooperation and collaboration with other professional and technical organizations while fulfilling the HPNA mission. www.hpna.org/DisplayPage.aspx

CMS Releases Hospice Fee Fact Sheet

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new booklet about the hospice payment system. The material provides a general summary about coverage for hospice care, certification requirements, election periods, how it sets rates, patient coinsurance payments, caps on hospice payments, reporting required to submit a claim, and fiscal year 2010 payment rates in effect from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. The fact sheet is available at no charge through the CMS website. www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads.

New Campaign Seeks Stories about Health System's Failure to Care for Older Adults

The Campaign for Better Care, led by the National Partnership for Women & Families with funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies, is soliciting personal stories that illustrate the ways in which the U.S. health care system fails older adults with multiple, chronic conditions. The organization aims to build a consumer voice for better care by putting a human face on the issue and advocating for improving care delivery. www.nationalpartnership.org/site/

Educational Initiative To Address Pain Management Issues

Emerging Solutions in Pain (ESP) is an ongoing educational initiative developed to address some of today's most critical issues in pain management. These issues involve balancing fundamental rights of patients and clinicians with the challenge of risk containment for opioid misuse, abuse and addiction associated with medical prescribing and use of controlled substances. Through evidence-based scientific data, validated tools, and the expertise of a cadre of leading pain and addiction medicine experts, the ESP program provides clinicians with guidance in the implementation of good practice management techniques. Site features and programs emphasize favourable interaction with regulatory and law enforcement agencies, as well as effective assessment, monitoring and documentation strategies; all of which contribute to the overall goal of optimizing outcomes for patients in pain: www.emergingsolutionsinpain.com/

FDA Extends REMS Comment Period

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reopened the comment period for Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for Certain Opioid Drugs. Interested parties will now have until October 19, 2010, to submit information for consideration. The agency indicated that it reopened the comment period due to continuing public interest in the topic and to give everyone an opportunity to share their views about REMS, which will apply to long-acting and extended-release opioids with the active ingredients fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone. The agency aims to ensure that the benefits of using these drugs outweigh the risks of inappropriately prescribed drugs, abuse, misuse, and overdose of the drugs. Reopening the comment period will delay any rulemaking for at least a year. www.regulations.gov/search/Regs

Disposal Instructions for Opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established a new website to educate consumers and providers about the proper disposal of unused medications. All medicines listed have disposal instructions in their professional prescribing information; however, this information is targeted to health care professionals. The Web page provides clear instructions for consumers on whether a medicine should be flushed or disposed of in the trash. The FDA worked with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop the first consumer guidance for proper disposal of prescription drugs. The ONDCP federal guidelines were first issued in February 2007. The 2009 version of the federal guidelines is available atwww.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf

EAPC Issues Framework for Use of Sedation

The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) issued a position paper outlining its recommendations for the use of sedation in palliative care. The association considers sedation an important and necessary therapy for selected palliative care patients who do not respond to other strategies; however, sedation requires a cautious approach and good clinical practice in light of the associated risks involved. The 10-point framework, based on existing guidelines and evidence, includes discussing the role of sedation before it is needed and if severe distress at end-of-life is possible. www.eapcnet.org/projects/Sedation.html

Institute Selects International Physicians for Leadership Program

The International Palliative Care Leadership Development Initiative, led by The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice in California, selected 22 physicians from Africa, Eastern Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia to participate in a 2-year program to develop the leadership skills of palliative care physicians practicing in resource-limited countries. Participants will receive guidance from regional and local mentors, invited faculty, and the initiative team in San Diego. The program with a weeklong course at the institute began in January 2010.

Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program

CAPC Director, Diane E. Meier, M.D., will report throughout the year from her new 2009–2010 Health and Aging Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. Follow Diane E. Meier, M.D. at: www.twitter.com/dianeemeier

Selected as one of four resident fellows, Dr. Meier will have the opportunity to participate in the policymaking process on the Federal level as a legislative assistant in Congress or professional staff member in executive agencies or policy organizations.

About the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program

The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is a unique opportunity for health and aging professionals to obtain the experience and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans. The Program is made possible by the generous support of The Atlantic Philanthropies.

CAPC Campus Online^TM Offers Courses on Consultation Etiquette and Marketing for Palliative Care Programs

Study the key elements of Consultation Etiquette at CAPC Campus Online^TM.

With this course, you will gain a clear understanding of: key stakeholders for effective consultations; similarities and differences in palliative care consultations; rules of consultation etiquette; and patient advocacy versus respectful clinician.

Study the key elements of Marketing for Palliative Care Programs at CAPC Campus Online^TM.

Course objectives include: describing relationship of marketing to education as a strategy for referrals; definge three methods to learn the needs of the referring clinician; and developing a marketing plan for your program.

CAPC Campus Online^TM offers a variety courses that will make a difference to your professional development.

Courses are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Enroll now and pay only $35 per course, per student at http://campus.capc.org

If you work for a New York State hospital or hospice with an established palliative care program, you are eligible to enroll for CAPC Campus Online^TM courses at no cost.

CAPC Palliative Care Leadership Centers: Intensive Training and Year-long Mentoring

Palliative Care Leadership Centers (PCLC) are nine leading palliative care programs that provide customized, hands-on operational training—and yearlong mentoring—for palliative care programs at every stage of development and growth. The PCLCs represent diverse settings including health systems, community-based hospitals, hospices, academic medical centers, cancer centers, children′s hospitals, VA and safety-net hospitals. Each offers a close, hands-on experience, as well as a 12-month mentoring follow-up to guide you through the challenges of program growth and sustainability. PCLC faculty are physician and nurse leaders in the field and experts in applying the most effective palliative care program models. You'll benefit from their deep experience, knowledge and mentoring in all matters of program development. There is a type of PCLC training to address the specific needs of each and every program—whether you are starting a program (PCLC Core), whether you're a pediatric palliative care program, or whether you are an active program up and running for at least 1 year (PCLC Custom and PCLC Consult).

PCLCs are located at:

Akron Children's Hospital

For training dates, to learn more and enroll, go to www.capc.org

AAHPM Accepting Applications: Clinical Scholars Program

The AAHPM is now accepting applications from physicians for this 1-week observership program at select hospice and palliative medicine sites across the United States. The program is designed to provide a focused clinical experience in hospice and palliative medicine to physicians. The eight sites were chosen based on their outstanding reputation, superior service, and well-regarded expertise in the field. The sites include Capital Hospice in Falls Church, Virginia; Hospice of the Bluegrass in Lexington, Kentucky; Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter in Glenview, Illinois; San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care in San Diego, California; Stanford University/VA Palo Alto Hospice and HPC Program in Palo Alto, California; University of Alabama at Birmingham/VA Medical Center Palliative Care Program in Birmingham, Alabama; and University of Pittsburgh Institute to Enhance Palliative Care in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

As part of its educational mission, the Academy is committed to providing excellent training for physicians in the principles and practice of palliative medicine. Training the next generation of leaders is key to helping meet the demand for physicians with clinical experience in hospice and palliative medicine to work in hospices and hospital-based palliative care programs. This Clinical Scholars Program offers a diverse selection of sites across the country where participants will work alongside experienced leaders in the field.

For more information please visit www.aahpm.org/education/clinicaltraining.html.

Clinical Fellowships Available

The Center for Palliative Studies at San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care offers 10 one-year clinical fellowships leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, beginning July 1 each year. Two second-year research positions are available for physicians preparing for an academic career. Preferred candidates will BE or BC by an ABMS-recognized board. Combined training in geriatrics and hematology-oncology is possible. For more information, please contact Charles F. von Gunten, M.D., Ph.D., at cvongunten@sdhospice.org or 619-278-6225. San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care is a teaching and research affiliate of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.