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Brian Andrew Tully Argues Physicians' Orders For Life-Sustaining Treatment Is Not A Good Model For End-Of-Life Care Planning
Brian Andrew Tully, Esq., an attorney specializing in elder law, argues against POLST (Physicians" Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment). In his article "A Counterview: Objections to the POLST Paradigm," which was published in the February 2009 issue ofThe Elder Law Report, Mr. Tully states that POLST gives physicians autonomy in the decision-making process, without having to consult with the patient or the health care proxy.
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New Treatment Method Reduces Pain And Increases Mobility In Patients With Vertebral Compression Fractures
Vesselplasty, a new minimally invasive procedure, increases mobility and reduces pain and the need for pain killers in patients with vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), according to a study performed at the Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, Spain. Vesselplasty is a new alternative to vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty-two conventional VCF treatment methods. Vesselplasty solves the problem of leakage of cement out of the vertebral body which can happen during both vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty," said Lucia Flors, MD, lead author of the study.
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For America's Aged, Surgery At Any Price?
When doctors decide whether or not to go ahead with an expensive surgery, "age is no longer the deciding factor, even for invasive treatment such as open-heart surgery," The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. One question is "whether this never-too-old approach is an example of U.S. medical progress, or an example of why Medicare -- federal health insurance for people over 64 -- is headed for insolvency. The answer, experts say, is both. Which is why the current debate over expanding federal coverage to all uninsured Americans is an ethical and economic minefield. "Forty years ago, it was taken for granted that the elderly were not good candidates for organ transplantation, dialysis, or advanced surgical procedures. That has changed," Daniel Callahan, cofounder of the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute in Garrison, N.Y., wrote recently. "Under the best of circumstances, age should be irrelevant in the Medicare program. But so far, the cost of care has not been considered, and it can hardly remain irrelevant in a program strapped for money.""
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Even While Considering Major Overhaul, Democrats Expand Government Role In Public Health

"As if hedging their bets on health reform, Democrats are emphasizing smaller but still significant health-related investments this year, from food safety and community health centers to a greater emphasis on rooting out abuses in Medicare and Medicaid," Politico reports. "It"s a far cry from the more ambitious government-backed insurance option proposed by President Barack Obama and House Democrats. But it does add up to a major expansion of the government"s role in public health - and one that shows a greater willingness to add personnel to regulate and administer programs." Those initiatives "make for a delicate balancing act." They could be "a backstop if health reform falls," while also seeking "to clear the path for bigger things to come." Bills to expand Medicaid and regulate tobacco earlier this year garnered attention, "but it"s the lower-profile annual appropriations bills, which have cleared the House and are now moving through the Senate, that add important details - and dollars." Politico gives a number of examples (Rogers, 8/5). Meanwhile, "after days of negotiations and hours upon hours of committee votes, the House healthcare bill comes back to what is essentially a committee of one: Speaker Nancy Pelosi," The Hill reports. "It"s up to her, working with fellow leaders and the House Rules Committee, to meld three drafts of the healthcare bill: the liberal version from the Education and Labor Committee, the centrist Blue Dog compromise from the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means plan with a tax Pelosi (D-Calif.) already wants to change or maybe even scrap." With Republicans "promising a solid wall of opposition," Pelosi must "draft a bill that can get 218 Democratic votes, the majority in the House" (Soraghan and Allen, 8/4). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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