Can you turn your body into a legal document?

"Do Not Resuscitate" joins barbed wire, anyone’s name you’re dating, and a self-portrait on the list of things you should think twice about getting tattooed on your body. It's easy to see why a DNR tattoo is an appealing idea. A tattoo ensures that the DNR statement is quite literally always on your person, doctors would see the tattoo before performing CPR, and anyone that takes the time to get a tattoo must be sincere about their wishes.

But, a recent case involving a Florida man with such a tattoo illustrates the flaws with this idea. You can read Randi Siegel’s recent guest blog post on the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys blog to read about the confusion this tattoo caused and some lessons that can be gleaned from this case.

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December 13, 2017 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(2)

From ESPN to Dr. House: A selection of Randi Siegel's articles on end-of-life issues

Please check out a selection of my blog posts for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys from earlier this year that we haven’t posted here previously.

February's post, Not Too Macho for Meaning: A Sports Anchor Shares Lessons About Life, calls attention to Stuart Scott’s acceptance speech at the ESPYs before his untimely death a few months later after a long battle with cancer.

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November 16, 2015 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Jeb Bush suggests Medicare beneficiaries be required to complete an advance directive

My monthly guest blog post for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys was recently published! This month’s article is Jeb Bush’s Advance Care Planning Surprise. It talks about Bush’s interesting statement on advance care planning and Medicare at a forum in Manchester, NH, and the potential implications of his words. You can read the article on the Academy blog.

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June 11, 2015 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Dying Needn’t Be So Brutal. Boomer, Arise!

My monthly guest blog post for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys was just published! This month’s article is Dying Needn’t Be So Brutal. Boomer, Arise! It discusses a recent study that found that people are dying in more pain and with more psychological distress than they were twenty years ago. It also looks at an op-ed written by Dr. Ira Byock, a palliative care expert, about what should be done. You can read the article on the Academy blog.

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March 10, 2015 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Delaware Law Provides Access to Digital Assets to Legal Executors

In addition to appointing a health care agent to take care of medical needs and an executor to take care of affairs after they're gone, citizens of Delaware can now also appoint a digital executor -- to look after their digital assets such as online bank accounts, social media accounts and email accounts.

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August 25, 2014 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Delaware Enacts Law to Promote Inclusion for People With Disabilities

Delaware recently passed new legislation to enhance the dignity of disability-related laws by changing the word choices used in existing laws. The initiative is called People First Language, or PFL, and its key point is to make sure that even in just the phrasing of a law, the person -- and not their disability -- comes first. For example, laws should refer to “people with disabilities,” as opposed to “disabled people.”

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August 7, 2014 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

AMA Recommends Paying Doctors for End-of Life Conversations

The idea of Medicare payment for advance care planning is not new, but past efforts to put such programs into place have been stymied (think “death panels”). A new proposal from the AMA may change that, recommending that doctors who take the time to discuss end-of-life care with their patients be paid for their efforts.

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June 6, 2014 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Furry Friends Help Patients Feel Better

According to a recent article on USAToday.com, more hospitals are expanding hospital visitation to include canines.

Therapy dogs have been helping patients for years. 

“Research has shown that therapy dogs can have measurable health benefits in patients. In a 2007 study, 76 adults with advanced heart failure received either a 12-minute visit from a volunteer with a therapy dog, a 12-minute visit from a volunteer only or 12 minutes of their usual care.

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July 16, 2013 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Reimbursement for Advance Care Planning Proposed in U.S. Congress

The bipartisan advance care planning bill just introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would provide reimbursement for periodic advance care planning under Medicare and Medicaid.Specifically, The Personalize Your Care Act would cover reimbursement for voluntary consultations with patients about advance care planning and end of life care every 5 years or upon a change in the patient’s health status. Proposed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer with bipartisan cosponsors on March 14, 2013, the bill would also help states establish or expand their programs for Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and help ensure that electronic medical records can display patients’ advance directives and POLST documents.

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March 17, 2013 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)

Health Journalist's Firsthand Encounter with End-of-Life Decisions

In "How Mom's Death Changed My Thinking About End-of-Life Care," journalist Charles Ornstein thoughtfully presents how his personal experience with the uncertainties of medical diagnosis, treatment, futility, end-of-life decisions for his mother differed from his objective, clearer views on these subjects as a veteran health-care reporter. He candidly shares his new-found appreciation for the intense difficulty of figuring out  how to apply her general wishes to her specific medical situation -- about whether to try treatments and/or when to stop trying.  He also shares insights about the role of hope and a new understanding of "how little the costs to t he broader health-care system matter to the family of a patient."  Mr. Ornstein is also current board president of the Association of Health Care Journalists.

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March 1, 2013 | Advance Care Planning Policy | Comments(0)