Journal of palliative medicine
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The U. S. healthcare system is shifting from a fee-for-service (FFS) system to a valued-based reimbursement system focused on improving the quality of healthcare. ⋯ All clinicians, including physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants who bill to Medicare Part B FFS, should submit quality data to the PQRS in 2015 or they will receive up to a 4% negative reimbursement penalty in 2017. As implementing and reporting PQRS measures can be a daunting task, especially for palliative care professionals, this article provides high priority tips identified by the authors for PQRS reporting in the palliative care field.
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A question prompt sheet (QPS) is a structured list of potential questions available for patients to ask their doctor during a clinical encounter. Although it has been shown to improve physician-patient interaction during clinical consultations, there is paucity of data on its use in the palliative care setting. The aim of this study was to develop a single-page consensus list of prompt questions for use by patients attending outpatient palliative care. ⋯ A 25-item, single-page QPS was developed for use by patients attending outpatient palliative care. Further studies are needed to determine its clinical effectiveness in assisting physician-patient communication.
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Palliative care services (PCS) are recommended to enhance quality of care for hospitalized patients. ⋯ LT providers overwhelmingly report that PCS benefit patients and are consistent with LT goals even while patients are listed for LT. Barriers to PCS include confusion over referral criteria and describing PCS as end-of-life care by attending physicians. PCS teams may expand access for LT patients by establishing clear criteria for PCS referral and targeting educational interventions about palliative care to attendings.
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People with motor neuron disease (MND) face barriers when accessing palliative care. There is a lack of research about how these barriers affect the end-of-life (EOL) and death experiences of people with MND. ⋯ The findings indicate that increased access to specialist palliative care services by people with MND is needed to improve EOL experiences.