Date: 09/01/2009
Final
National Healthcare Reform
HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE
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02:42 PM -- National Health Care Reform
Dr. Cordt Kassner from the Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care provided a handout to the committee on advanced care planning (see attachment L). He stressed the importance of advanced care planning and discussed some of the misconceptions in the public concerning the House health bill concerning advance planning and "death panels".
Dr. Kassner then described a presentation on controlling health care costs and referenced the finding that hospice care and advanced directives can improve quality of care and reduce costs (Attachments M and N). He described how different diagnoses have different costs. He pointed to other studies that show cost savings for hospice care. Dr. Kassner then described the relationship between per capita costs and median length of stay in hospice care. Representative Roberts asked whether hospice organizations have discussed ways for innovation at the state level if advance care and hospice provisions are dropped from the national health care reform debate. Dr. Kassner emphasized increased education and other steps to increase access to end of life care, regardless of what happens nationally. He described other efforts in the state to develop best practices and reduce barriers. Representative Roberts and Dr. Kassner then discussed ideas for legislation that the committee could consider.
