Medical News: Palliative Care Docs Push Directives, But Won't Imperil Reform - in Primary Care, Geriatrics from MedPage Today

By Emily P. Walker - Christine Cassel, MD, a palliative care physician, worked on the language in the House of Representative's healthcare reform bill that would authorize Medicare to pay doctors for talking with patients about end-of-life care. The provision itself seemed innocuous. It would pay physicians about $75 to do what many geriatricians and palliative care specialists already do for free: create a written plan with patients who still have cognitive function to specify the type medical care they want -- or don't want -- at the end of their lives. Read More