Journal of palliative medicine
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California hospitals report palliative care (PC) program characteristics to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), but the significance of this information is unknown. ⋯ California hospital-reported PC program characteristics are associated with significantly lower inpatient utilization by Medicare decedents.
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Although recommended for all persons with serious illness, advance care planning (ACP) has historically been a charitable clinical service. Inadequate or unreliable provisions for reimbursement, among other barriers, have spurred a gap between the evidence demonstrating the importance of timely ACP and recognition by payers for its delivery.1 For the first time, healthcare is experiencing a dramatic shift in billing codes that support increased care management and care coordination. ACP, chronic care management, and transitional care management codes are examples of this newer recognition of the value of these types of services. ⋯ The advent of reimbursement mechanisms to recognize these services has an enormous potential to impact palliative care program sustainability and growth. In this article, we highlight 10 tips to effectively using the new ACP codes reimbursable under Medicare. The importance of documentation, proper billing, and nuances regarding coding is addressed.
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End-of-life (EoL) care after geriatric burns (geri-burns) is understudied. ⋯ The vast majority of geri-burn deaths on our burn service occur after a discussion about EoL care. The timing of these discussions is driven by magnitude of injury, and it does not lead to higher proportions of an immediate decision for comfort care. The presence and timing of EoL discussions bears further study as a quality metric for geri-burn EoL care.