Medical Ethics Advisor
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Access to mental healthcare is “question of social justice”
Access to equal benefits and qualified providers remains difficult for many insured Americans, despite the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, according to a recent health policy brief.
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Many oncologists being asked to solicit donations from patients
About one-third of oncologists had been asked to directly solicit a donation from their patients for their institutions, according to a recent study - and half declined to do so.
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Ethical approaches to disclose errors made by other clinicians
Physicians face a number of personal and ethical challenges in disclosing medical errors made by a colleague.
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The Challenge of Advance Care Planning Billing
Providers can now bill Medicare for advance care planning, eliminating one important barrier to end-of-life conversations.
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Families say nursing care is key support for end-of-life care
Vigilance in the provision of nursing care, communication of even slight changes in the patient’s condition, and validation of the family’s decision-making increase family members’ comfort during the dying process, a recent qualitative study suggests.
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New guidance on palliative care delivery in oncology practices
A new guidance statement to define high-quality primary palliative care delivery in medical oncology has been developed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
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Many academics on industry boards: Conflicts of interest are ethical concern
Academics from medical schools and research institutions hold nearly 10% of positions on boards of directors at publicly traded healthcare companies, according to a recent study.
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“Instant access” culture driving trend toward at-home testing
Ethical issues involving at-home self-testing include patient autonomy, the fact that knowledgeable providers aren’t interpreting findings, and the possibility of false or misleading results.
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Did ethics consults occur too late? Reluctant clinicians are one reason
Ethics consults often are called only after the patient lacks decision-making capacity and death is inevitable despite aggressive treatment.
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Greater palliative care knowledge in nursing homes linked to less aggressive end-of-life care
The more nursing directors knew about palliative care, the less likely their patients experienced feeding tube insertion, injections, restraints, suctioning, and emergency department visits, according to a recent study.