Here is a great link from AAPA's VP for Reimbursement, Michael Powe, about how to take advantage of the new guidelines for billing for conversations with patients regarding Chronic Care Management: "What if Medicare decided to offer you additional reimbursement for work you’ve already been doing for your patients? Would you take it?"

https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/reimbursement/cms-payment-details-chronic-care-management-services/

AAHPM has given their support for the Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act of 2015.   This is our chance to improve PA rights in hospice care.  Follow the link below for more information from AAHPM and full text of the bill.

http://cqrcengage.com/aahpm/app/bill/526829

https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr1202/BILLS-114hr1202ih.pdf

March is National Kidney Month and a good time to recognize the needs of our End Stage Renal Disease patients.  Often these needs are left unmet until dialysis is no longer an option.

Dialysis

Atul Gawande's Gifts to Palliative Care

This Week's Palliative Care News

An excerpt from Diane Meier's piece in the Narrative Matters section of the journal Health Affairs was published in the Washington Post this week.  Diane Meier is the director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and instrumental in the growth of the Palliative Care arena.  Interesting read on when a doctor becomes a patient and teaching our colleagues it is okay to stop treatment. 
Click here for the full article.

This is a highly researched area that is now starting to become more public.  Check out this article published in the Wall Street Journal. . .

Palliative Care Gains Favor as It Lowers Costs