End-of-life care

Article Abstract:

Hospices may provide a reasonable alternative to hospitals for patients who cannot be cured of their illness and are quickly approaching death. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) reports that hospices are caring for substantially more patients, with the majority covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Benefits include physician and nursing care, drug prescriptions, physical therapy, counseling and home health aid care. Hospices provide palliative care, which relieves pain and symptoms, and is often more appropriate than aggressive hospital treatment for patients dying of incurable diseases. Hospice patients can end their lives in a comfortable setting rather than in a hospital. HCFA has produced brochures on treatment options and hospice benefits to assist patients in determining their care. The Patient Self-Determination Act allows patients to issue advanced directives regarding their care.

Information services, Patient education, Insurance, Hospice care

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ICD-9 code for palliative or terminal care

Article Abstract:

A new diagnostic code has been approved for the palliative care of hospitalized terminally ill patients. This special diagnosis-related group will permit care evaluation of dying patients. It is a step in the right direction that hospital care can be termed palliative, offering comfort instead of ignoring impending death. Good palliative care could reduce requests for physician-assisted suicide, a topic still open to political and ethical debate. Palliative care should also be connected to patients receiving long-term care. Medical technology alone does not meet all human needs, such as dying with dignity.

Usage, Identification and classification, Hospital patients, Diagnosis related groups

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The slow code - should anyone rush to its defense?

Article Abstract:

The slow code is probably unethical and should be discontinued. A slow code occurs when doctors and nurses perform a half-hearted attempt to resuscitate a patient because they believe the patient will not survive. Many times, this decision was not shared with the patient's family and informed consent was not received. In these cases, doctors should discuss a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order with the family. A DNR order will allow the doctors to forgo resuscitation attempts in terminally ill patients. This will allow the patient to die a non-traumatic death.

Cardiac resuscitation

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