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Here are some ways to help clients prepare for their end-of-life care
My guest blog post this month for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys investigates a new survey on American’s views about end-of-life care and suggests ways for you to incorporate this information into your practice. The survey, which was conducted by the Economist and the Kaiser Family Foundation, asked about financial factors, family relationships, medical decisions, physician communications, and more. Click here to read the article.
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September 5, 2017 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
ER doctors can't find advance directives in electronic health records!
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) fail to provide access to most patients’ advance directives in the ER according to two recently published studies in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Most hospitals have switched over to computerized systems, but the data shows those systems do an abysmal job of making your clients’ advance directives accessible to doctors.
The first study looked at patients over 65 and found that 59% completed an advance directive, but the ER staff could only locate the advance directive for 13% in the EHR. That means that the ER failed to obtain the advance directive for more than ¾ of the patients that completed one.
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February 9, 2017 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
Studies on health care surrogates provide marketing opportunities for estate planning attorneys
My guest blog post this month for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys analyzes two studies that found that health care surrogates are called on to make medical decisions very frequently. You can use these results in your marketing to new clients or as an opportunity to reconnect with existing clients. Read the full article here.
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September 19, 2016 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(1)
Computerized records don’t make clients’ advance directives available
Electronic medical records are not the answer to making clients’ advance directives easily available at a hospital when they’re needed, according to a recent news report. Contrary to what we all might assume, most physicians cannot get their patients’ advance directives easily—if at all—through electronic health records (EHRs).
In a USA Today article, Kaiser Health News uncovered a surprising set of technical problems that stand in the way.
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April 28, 2016 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
ER docs LOVE advance directives: Marketing opportunity
My guest blog post this month for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys is about just how badly ER doctors want their patients to have easily accessible advance directives, according to a recent study. Read the full article here.
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January 14, 2016 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
ER doctors want you to have an advance directive!
ER doctors want you to have an advance directive!
A recent survey of emergency medicine physicians has found that 85% believe having an advance directive helps ensure better quality patient care. And 88% felt that patients’ families were more comfortable with how doctors cared for their loved ones when there was an advance directive on file.
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November 12, 2015 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
JAMA oncology study reveals health care agents are flying blind
A recent study from JAMA Oncology presented some significant findings for the world of estate planning – between 2000 and 2012, the number of people with cancer creating health care power of attorneys has gone up, the number of end-of-life care conversations has stayed the same, and the number of people receiving “all care possible” has dramatically increased. My blog post delves into the possible reasons behind these numbers and how estate planning attorneys can help ensure their clients’ documents are being properly utilized. You can read the article on the Academy blog.
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August 12, 2015 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
New Study Analyzes How End-of-Life Choices Change Over Time
A new study about end-of-life choices has some interesting things to say about how people’s wishes change (or don’t) over time. Most people’s preferences seem to stay the same over the years. But -- the groups most likely to change were those who were healthy when they first made their preferences known, and those who originally wanted more intensive care. You can read more about the study at JAMA Internal Medicine.
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June 4, 2014 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)
2 Pitfalls in Getting Clients Their Desired Results from Advance Directives
My monthly guest blog post for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys was just published! This month’s is 2 Pitfalls in Getting Clients Their Desired Results from Advance Directives. You can read the article on the Academy blog.
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May 28, 2014 | Advance Care Planning Research | 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 Research | Comments(0)
More Spending on Advanced Cancer May Not Improve Survival Rates
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March 13, 2013 | Advance Care Planning Research | Comments(0)