CMS hospice demo a step forward

Regarding "CMS hospice plans draw mixed reactions":

The upcoming CMS hospice demonstration is a critical step in the evolution of end-of-life care. I experienced this situation firsthand two years ago when my mother died from advanced lung cancer. It was incomprehensible to me at the time that we had to navigate a complex web of coordination from multiple providers and time her transition to a disassociated in-home hospice provider in way that maximized her quality of life. The situation was exacerbated by her multiple comorbidities and by subpar quality of care by her hospice team that prompted investigations after her death by both CMS and state officials.

Suffice it to say, I firmly believe we all have the right to die with the best quality of life that aligns with our personal beliefs (i.e., Do Not Resuscitate / Do Not Intubate). By establishing dual coverage, the CMS would go a long way towards creating the bridge care necessary for complex cases. In my mother's case, it would have eliminated a vast amount of coordination and advocacy that I found myself doing at a time when all I wanted to focus on was her every waking minute. Though I would do it all again in a heartbeat, I do hope the demonstration prompts a necessary evolution in treatment protocols that more specifically defines "curative" and "hospice" in order to cover care that comfortably extends life.

Kelly Stein