NDY Files Public Comment on CMS Proposal on Advance Care Planning

…t of payment for appropriate physician-patient communications about health care decisions and advance care planning. We stated this in a 2013 press release entitled Not Dead Yet Provides Video and Written Comments on POLST to Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Approaching Death. More importantly, as noted in the recent U.S. News and World Report article, Is the ‘Death Panel’ Debate Dead?, our concerns about advance care planning discussions are…

NDY et al. Amicus Brief in New Mexico Supreme Court in Morris v. Brandenburg

…ces and technology supports, there is not voluntary choice. Without health care and consumer-directed personal care services, people with disabilities do not receive what they need to live as independently and with as much autonomy as possible. Without the professional commitment to help make living worthwhile for people with disabilities, which is the core of suicide prevention, people with disabilities, including those whose conditions are termi…

Lisa Blumberg: Getting Beyond Advance Medical Directives

…n making and autonomy. Rather than segregating out so-called “end of life” care from health care in general, the priority should be on helping people make complicated decisions when they become seriously ill. (10) “We’re saying stop trying to anticipate the care you might want in hypothetical future scenarios,” Dr. James Tulsky, who is chair of the department of psychosocial oncology and palliative care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has sta…

New “futile care” promotion includes attack on ADA

…complete with a glowing recommendation from you – urging the congressional rep to read his book. So for those of us who have been concerned with the rising juggernaut of “futile care” policies, here’s a new reason for concern. We have a new promoter who clearly has the ADA in his sights….

Canada: Woman Goes on Hunger Strike After Being Denied Basic Care – Help Needed

…ario, Canada (Minna Mettinen- Kekalainen) is SUPPOSED to be receiving home care services. The North East Community Care Access Center has been denying her these services. Minna says this is because she had complained about their nurses because they had failed to follow her doctor’s orders. Minna was on a prolonged hunger strike, starving herself to death in an attempt to pressure the CCAC to provide her the services she needs. She has started eati…