Resources for Health Professionals
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"There are a number of patients who have a hard time coming to terms with their illness, and our culture has the mind-set that we need to fight, fight, fight. There's a time to fight, but it's also my responsibility to tell patients when it's time to focus on living their life as well as possible."
- Dan Mulkerin, M.D. |
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"When I suggest HospiceCare to my patients they often give a sigh of relief, knowing they will be well taken care of. HospiceCare gives my patients resources they can't get anywhere else. It's total care of patients and families; it's reassurance that their pain will be managed and that they won't be alone."
-Joan Addington-White, M.D. |
HospiceCare is committed to being your best partner and working with you to provide the highest quality end-of-life experience for your patients and their families. Below you will find resources to make your job easier when discussing end-of-life issues. As always, HospiceCare is happy to assist you in any end-of-life conversations you may have with your patients and their families. Contact us to request our assistance, refer a patient or to ask for additional resources that you may find helpful.
Advance Directive Forms
 Power of attorney for healthcare 45.51 Kb
Addendum to the power of attorney for healthcare 33.73 Kb
Hospice Medicare/Medicaid Benefit Manual
The Hospice Medicare/Medicaid Benefit 288.90 Kb
Physician Newsletters
HospiceCare Physician Alert News
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| Feb 2010 Assessment Tools for Dementia Patients 86.70 Kb |
| Dec 2009 Hospice for Nursing Home Residents 265.57 Kb |
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Quality of Life Matters Newsletter
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Vol. 11, Issue 2 279.89 Kb Aug/Sept/Oct 2009
Self-Awareness Approach Offered to Protect Physicians from Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
Advanced Dementia Patients 2.5 Times More Likely to Have Feeding Tube Placement in Areas with High Rates of End-of-Life Health Care Transitions
New Pediatric Standards Aim to Improve Palliative and Hospice Care for Children
Physician Aid in Dying: Requests Often Based on Worries about Future Symptoms, Circumstances
Chronic Critical Illness: Advance Directives, Appointment of Health Care Proxies Could Ease Burdens for Patients, Families
Perception of Physician Abandonment at End of Life Affects Patients’ Sense of Continuity, Closure
Latino Patients: Improving Their End-of-Life Experience Through Clear Communication and Cultural Understanding
Consensus Guidelines Offered for Identifying SICU Patients in Need of Palliative Care |
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Vol. 11, Issue 1 640.07 Kb May/June/July 2009
Selecting Palliative or Hospice Care That Is ‘Competent, Compassionate, Coordinated’
Physicians Report High Level of Involvement in Palliative Care
Under reporting of Dementia on Death Certificates of Nursing Home Residents Raises Concerns about Accuracy of Mortality Statistics
ICU Clinicians Urged to Better Inform Patients/Families about Prognosis
Agitation and Delirium at End of Life: Managing the Symptoms
Medical School Curricula in Palliative and Hospice Care Found Lacking
Symptomatic Burden of Malignant Wounds
Beyond DNR/CPR Orders: Using POLST in Hospice |
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Vol. 10, Issue 4 636.86 Kb Feb/Mar/Apr 2009
Non-Cancer Diagnoses Continue to Outnumber Malignancies in Patients Served by Hospice
‘Waging War’ on Cancer or ‘Waging Peace?’
Physician Prediction of Survival Duration Found Overly Optimistic by Three Months
Hospice Reduces Medical Expenditures
Hospice Improves Survival Time by 81 Days in CHF Patients
Cost Savings of Almost $5000 per Hospital Admission Associated with Palliative Care Consultation
High Rate of Hospice Use Found among Older Stroke Patients Who Die Within Thirty Days
U.S. Hospitals Implementing Palliative Care Programs at Steady Pace
Suicide Rate Twice as High with Cancer |
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Vol. 10, Issue 3 620.42 Kb Nov/Dec/Jan 2008-2009
End-of-Life Discussions Offer Patients Benefits, Not Distress
Oncologists Urged to Help Patients ‘Think Clearly’ about Chemotherapy for Late-Stage Disease
End-of-Life Care Choices Linked to Health Literacy, Not Race
Medical Students’ Ratings of End-of-Life Care Instruction Have Risen Nationally, Yet ‘Much More Work Needs to Be Done’
AMA Approves Palliative Sedation for Intractable Symptoms at the End of Life
Physicians Offered Two Brief Spiritual Assessment Tools
Spiritual Assessment Tools for Physicians
AMA Approves Palliative Sedation for Intractable Symptoms at the End of Life |
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Vol. 10, Issue 2 632.85 Kb Aug/Sept/Oct 2008
Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Illnesses: New Clinical Guidelines Endorse Palliative and Hospice Care
Top Marks: Families Value the Communication, Support, and Coordination Services of Hospice
Sustaining Hope, Delivering Prognosis: An Approach to Exploring Patient Needs
Extensive Use of Antibiotics at the End of Life in Patients with Advanced Dementia Raises Concerns
Increasingly Late Referral to Palliative Care Found Among Cancer Patients
Heart Failure Patients Overestimate Survival Time
Improving Care for the End of Life: A Source book for Health Care Managers and Clinicians |
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Vol. 10, Issue 1 650.65 Kb May/June/July 2008
Advanced Dementia: Physicians Offered Approach to Support Decision Making for Patients
New Subspecialty of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Scheduled for First Certification Exam
Half of Dying Long-Term Care Residents Have Pain, Dyspnea
Advanced Dementia: Physicians Offered Approach to Support Decision Making for Patients
Hospice Care Reduces Medicare Costs While Providing Quality Care
Uncertain Prognosis in Pediatric Patients: A Signal to Initiate Palliative Care
American College of Physicians Clinical Guideline Aims to Improve End-of-Life Care
Valid in 40 States, Popular Advance Directive Also Available in a Pediatric Version |
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Vol. 9, Issue 4 243.18 Kb Feb/Mar/Apr 2008
Number of Veterans Receiving VA-Supported Home Hospice Care Triples
Hospice Care Often Chosen for Diseases with High Caregiving Burden
Inaugural ‘National Healthcare Decisions Day’ Set for Spring
Number of Veterans Receiving VA-Supported Home Hospice Care Triples
Diagnosing Death: ‘Communication in the Face of Uncertainty’
Clinicians Offered Step-Wise Approach to Managing Intractable Nausea and Vomiting
Palliative Care Yields Lower Costs, Greater Patient Satisfaction
Handling Requests for Nondisclosure: Experts Offer a Clinical Approach |
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Vol. 9, Issue 3 293.67 Kb Nov/Dec/Jan 2007-2008
Hospice Care Still Underutilized and Misunderstood?
Alzheimer’s Association Releases Recommendations Specific to End-of-Life Care
ALS and Other Fatal, Progressive Neurologic Diseases: Addressing Hospice and Palliative Care Issues Needs-Based Palliative Care Urged for Patients with COPD
Hospice Care for Dementia Patients Receives Same High Family Rating as for Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
Clinicians Offered Strategies to Reduce Stress of Surrogate Decision Making
POLST: ‘Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment’ Portable form translates patient wishes into physician orders
Palliative Care ‘Case of the Month’ |
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Snapshot Eligibility Cards
Snapshot Eligibility Card
For all diagnosis
front and back 288.01 Kb
Snapshot Eligibility Card
For dementia patients only
front 132.43 Kb
back 144.06 Kb
Journal Articles
Comparing Hospice and Nonhospice Patient Survival Among Patients Who Die Within a Three-Year Window 188.65 Kb
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Vol. 33 No. 3 March 2007
Stephen R. Connor, PhD, Bruce Pyenson, FSA, MAAA, Kathryn Fitch, RN, MA, MEd, Carol Spence, RN, MS, and Kosuke Iwasaki, FIAJ, MAAA
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (S.R.C., C.S.), Alexandria, Virginia; and Milliman, Inc. (B.P., K.F., K.I.), New York, New York, USA
What length of hospice use maximizes reduction in medical expenditures near death in the US Medicare program? 317.88 Kb
Social Science & Medicine 65 (2007) 1466–1478
Donald H. Taylor Jr, Jan Ostermanna, Courtney H. Van Houtven, James A. Tulsky, Karen Steinhauserc
Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University Durham, Durham, NC, USA
Duke University and Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, USA
Center for Palliative Care and Department of Medicine, Duke University and VA Medical Centers, USA
HospiceCare Audio CD's and mp3 files
End of Life Issues
download the entire CD
right click and "save as" to save files to your computer
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track1.mp3 
