Spring 2022
Featured
Feature
Patient-Reported Outcomes for Palliative Care Point the Way to Becoming Better
Larry Beresford Two new, painstakingly developed, rigorously tested patient-reported quality measures offer palliative care organizations new opportunities to not only measure and refine the quality of care they provide but also document for healthcare colleagues the benefits of the patient-centric...
In this Issue
Meet the President
Meet AAHPM President Tara C. Friedman, MD FAAHPM
What led you to the specialty of hospice and palliative medicine? As a kid I thought I might become a counselor, so I majored in psychology at Colgate University. By the time I got to medical school, medicine was becoming...
Clinical Pearls
The Use of Inhalers in End-Stage COPD
Vincent Jay Vanston, MD FAAHPM HMDCB, and Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD MA MDE BCPS What can we do but keep on breathing in and out, modest and willing, and in our places? —Mary Oliver Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is...
Art of Caring
Spirituality in Relief of Suffering: A Young Woman’s Story
Patricia Shearer, MD MSFAAP The patient was in the hospital for a flare-up of a multisystem inflammatory disorder with many complications. She was staying in a large room at the end of the hall in the pediatric intensive care unit....
Advocacy Update
Medicare Physician Payment: 2022 Updates, Need for Reform
Jacqueline M. Kocinski, MPP As the new year loomed and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to stress the healthcare delivery system, the last thing the provider community needed was to brace for steep Medicare physician payment cuts. And yet, in a...
Pathways to Palliative Care
Dr. Khaliah Johnson—Advancing Health Equity in Pediatric Palliative Care
Marcin Chwistek, MD FAAHPM Dr. Johnson and I spoke over Zoom in late April. She was at home in Atlanta, having just returned from a spring break vacation with her 6-year-old son. It was a welcome respite from the busy...
Let's Think About It Again
Pain and Symptom Assessment and Management for Patients with Cognitive Impairment
Case Study Ms. Bryant is a 30-year-old woman with a past medical history of cerebral palsy with chronic spasticity who was previously quite functional and was listed for a lung transplant. She worked as a journalist, and though at times...
DEI LAB
Implications of Implicit Bias in Pediatric Palliative Care
Natasha Lee, MD, and Sonia Malhotra, MD MS FAAP Racism is a core social determinant of health that must be addressed to achieve health equity. It is well documented that racial and ethnic disparities in pediatrics exist, and literature shows...
AAHPM Partner Updates
HMDCB Continuing Certification Program
The HMDCB Continuing Certification Program (CCP) application is now open! Certificants who initially became certified in 2016 or 2017 are eligible to apply. Below are the 2022 CCP cycle dates: Early Bird Deadline: August 5, 2022 (Save $200 in late...
AAHPM News
AAHPM Learn Subscription Offers Wide Range of Education
In late 2021, AAHPM launched a new subscription offering within the AAHPM Learn platform. The subscription offers 1-year access to immediate content, with new activities added each month. Currently, more than 10 activities are available within the subscription. AAHPM is...
Quarterly Progress Report
AAHPM Points of Progress
More than 21 committees and task forces representing the efforts and expertise of hundreds of Academy members have made significant progress toward implementing AAHPM’s goals. This progress report highlights accomplishments within each goal area of the strategic plan, with an...