Surgical Intervention Common amongMedicare Patients in the Final Year of Life

Nearly one-third of elderly Americans undergo inpatient surgery in the last year of life, with most of these procedures occurring within a month before death, a team of Boston researchers has found. In addition, substantial variation was identified in the intensity of end-of-life (EOL) surgery across local regions.

Improved Access to Hospice for Patientswith Advanced Dementia Identified as Top Priority

Advanced dementia is a leading cause of death in the U.S., yet has remained largely underrecognized as a terminal illness. Thus, although research has contributed much to our understanding of the disease, initiatives aimed at improving the experience of demented patients have lagged behind those designed for persons dying of more recognized diseases.

Oncologists Offered Approach to Integrating ACP Discussions into Routine Care, Based on Advice from Clinical Experts

Initiating candid discussions about advance care planning (ACP) and the range of palliative options available to patients with advanced cancer can be daunting, but by incorporating strategies used by experts into routine practice, clinicians can make these encounters "as painless as possible," according to an article published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, a peerreviewed journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Hospice Care Report: Median and Average Lengths of Service Continue to Drop

At 1.58 million, the number of patients accessing hospice services remained relatively stable in 2010, risings lightly from the 1.56 million served in 2009. However, the continuing trend towards shorter lengths of stay presents a cause for concern, according the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), which released its most current annual report in January 2012.