Blog

Friday, 28 August 2009 00:00

There seems to be much to do in regards to the health care bill clause regarding the need for patient-doctor conversations and choices.  The Advance Care Planning provision in the House’s health care reform bill is about making YOUR choices known, and having the necessary tools to share those wishes. A great deal of misinformation has been voiced causing confusion among the public.

This type of advanced care planning will ensure your desires at the end of life are followed as those of us at Hospice of the Chesapeake has found in caring for thousands of patients and families during the past 30 years of service in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties.

It is the law that people have the right to make advance directive wishes known.  It is NOT a question of denying care, but rather is a way of saying what kind of care you want or don’t want if you cannot speak for yourself – which happens all too frequently.   Research and our own experience have shown that patient discussions with their physicians results in a higher quality of life for patients and family caregivers.  We encourage everyone to make your wishes known in an advance directive.

Erwin E. Abrams, President and CEO, Hospice of the Chesapeake

Friday, 07 August 2009 00:00

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Friday, 07 August 2009 00:00

Our television, radio, newspapers and computer links are being deluged with lobbying efforts from all sides of the health care reform issue. The clamor of raised voices and pieces of information being taken out of context, it may become a bit too much for some of us to continue to advocate for fully funded hospice care. We urge you to continue to fight to maintain hospice care as we know it.

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 02:30

Did you know that the administration plans to cut the Medicare Hospice Benefit?

Many reading this blog may be unaware of what is currently happening in the Administration that directly effects their Medicare Hospice Benefit. Last year Congress voted to reduce the hospice benefit, CMS-1420. Once fully enacted, these rate cuts will reduce reimbursement beyond the average hospice margin of just over 3 percent, adversely effecting compassionate end-of-life care for more than 1.5 million Americans and their families each year.

Tuesday, 05 May 2009 11:33

Over the course of my life, I’ve been presented an opportunity to make quite a few observations on the subject of death. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s really all about living. I think Alexander Graham Bell maybe said it best, “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”