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Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program
Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) Dector, 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.
DHHS Report on Compliance of Hospice Nursing Home Claims
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General issued a report outlining its finding that 82% of the 470 randomly selected claims it reviewed for hospice care rendered in nursing facilities in 2006 failed to meet at least one Medicare coverage requirement. Thirty-three percent of claims did not meet election statement requirements, 63% did not meet plan of care requirements, and 4% of claims did not meet certification of terminal illness requirements. The inspector general recommended more education about coverage requirements, provision of tools and guidance to hospices, and additional monitoring of practices. The full report is available at the following site: www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-02-06-00221.pdf
Palliative Medicine Hotline Goes Statewide
The Institute for Palliative Medicine in San Diego expanded its free Pal-Med Connect hotline statewide at the end of September. California physicians, nurses, and pharmacists can call the service for advice in caring for terminally ill patients. Experts at the institute will answer questions about pain management, opioid conversion, severe nausea, prognosis, hospice eligibility, and family communication. The service has been operational for 2 months, but advertised only in San Diego. However, the institute has received calls from as far away as New York City. A grant from UnitedHealth Group/PacifiCare covers operating expenses. www.palmedconnect.org/
CAPC Campus OnlineTM Offers New Courses Consultation Etiquette and Marketing for Palliative Care Programs
Study the key elements of Consultation Etiquette at CAPC Campus OnlineTM.
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 OnlineTM.
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 OnlineTM 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 OnlineTM courses at no cost.
Educational and Clinical Resources in Spirituality, Religion and Health
The Spirituality and Health Online Education and Resource Center (SOERCE), is a GWish program developed with support from the John Templeton Foundation. SOERCE aims to be the premiere online location for educational and clinical resources in the fields of spirituality, religion, and health. Objectives include building an online infrastructure to support medical educators and other health professionals in their quest to teach about spirituality and health by providing educational materials and resources, and eventually recognition of scholarship in the field: www.gwumc.edu/gwish/soerce/about.cfm
IAHPC Special Announcement
The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) has announced the launch of Pallipedia, a free online palliative care dictionary to be built by the international community, under the auspices of IAHPC. The dictionary is housed at www.pallipedia.org
Pallipedia resulted from a strategic plan carried early in 2008 by the IAHPC Board of Directors, who recommended developing and implementing a palliative care specialized online dictionary to improve palliative care knowledge and resources for the global community.
Pallipedia offers two options to visitors:
Searching for a term or concept related to the field of palliative care. The searching capability includes stop words and query language. Submitting a term or concept related to the field of palliative care. Accepted terms and concepts are automatically indexed in alphabetical order.
Pallipedia is a registered trademark of the IAHPC, a global palliative care organization dedicated to the promotion and development of palliative care. IAHPC is a registered charity in the United States. To learn more about Pallipedia, submit a term, or search for a term, please visit the dictionary website: www.pallipedia.org or contact the IAHPC: www.hospicecare.com
New Consumer Website Launched
AAHPM launches www.PalliativeDoctors.org, a new consumer website that explains the specialty of hospice and palliative medicine and its benefits to patients and families. The website highlights palliative medicine and its broader role in helping patients with all types of serious illness, provides information on how to find a hospice and palliative medicine specialist, and includes links to various hospice and palliative care resources and related sites.
NHPCO and Google Health Team Up
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Caring Connections has teamed up with Google Health to increase the availability of online advance care planning information. Google Health, which offers a secure, online, personal health record, will provide people with free, downloadable, state-specific advance directives and then store the scanned documents online, making them available to emergency healthcare professionals. Google Health decided to work with Caring Connections, because it provides the free documents. During the past 3 years, the organization has distributed more than 2.5 million advance directive forms. www.nhpco.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=5946
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 will 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 are 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 Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Fairview Health System Medical College of Wisconsin Mount Carmel Health System Palliative Care Center of the Bluegrass University of Alabama at Birmingham University of California, San Francisco VCU Massey Cancer Center
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, 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.
