Summer 2019

Featured
Feature
Adding to the Toolbox: Alternatives to Opioids for Managing Pain
by Cara Alexander Healthcare providers are finding themselves at an alarming intersection of two substantial public health challenges: reducing the epidemic of untreated pain and containing the increasing rates of substance use disorder and opioid-related deaths in the United States....
In this Issue
President's Message
A Goal Without a Plan Is Just a Wish
I have many fond memories from the Annual Assembly in Orlando, FL. One of them was talking to many of you at your SIG and forum meetings. I was impressed with how the members of each community support one another,...
Clinical Pearls
Management of Nonmedical Opioid Use in the Setting of Hospice and Palliative Care
Joseph A. Arthur, MD MBCHB, and Monika Holbein, MD Opioids are one of the most essential medications in the hospice and palliative care setting. Unfortunately, their inappropriate use has culminated in a national opioid crisis. The US government recently declared...
Art of Caring
Sapphire Anniversary
Patrick Clary, MD While he could still ride his ’67 Mustang top down with his hospice chaperone, he picked out a Yogo in a solitaire setting as a fair match for her eyes. Using a ring he swiped from her...
Annual Assembly
Annual Assembly Surpasses Expectations
The 3,200 attendees who descended on Orlando, FL, in March had a magical conference experience. They learned and were inspired in the morning plenary sessions, where Drs. Shantanu Agrawal, Martha Twaddle, and Betty Ferrell discussed the importance of quality patient...
Advocacy Update
Report Examines State Efforts to Improve Palliative Care Access and Quality
Jacqueline M. Kocinski, MPP Divided government and gridlock in Washington, DC, can mean efforts to effect policy change at the federal level require much patience. In contrast, state-level policymaking can advance at a more rapid pace and more easily allows...
Pathways to Palliative Care
Dr. Jason A. Webb: From Medicine and Psychiatry to Palliative Medicine
Marcin Chwistek, MD FAAHPM Webb with partner Maria and daughters Ava and Elaina Webb. Dr. Jason Webb and I met in March of this year in the busy exhibit hall at the Annual Assembly in Orlando. There was noise and...
Ethics
Ethics and the Hidden Curriculum
Elizabeth Gundersen, MD FHM Ethical behavior is central to palliative care and must exist at the individual, team, and cultural levels. All of us are responsible for creating a culture that promotes ethical and professional behavior. How can we accomplish...
Quality Improvement
Research or Quality Improvement? Breaking Down the Differences
Kathleen Bickel, MD MPHIL MS, and Amy L. Davis, DO MS FACP FAAHPM Improving palliative care practice—is my project idea quality improvement (QI) or is it research? The practice of hospice and palliative care always has been about improving quality...
HMDCB Update
HMDCB’s Continuing Certification Program Makes Staying Certified Simpler
The Hospice Medical Director Certification Board (HMDCB) has launched the Continuing Certification Program (CCP) to enable certificants to maintain their certification. The initial certification is valid for 6 years. The CCP may be completed in the fifth or sixth year...
AAHPM News
Congratulations to New Special Interest Group and Forum Chairs-Elect
These individuals were elected by their SIGs and forums and began their terms at the close of the 2019 Annual Assembly of Hospice & Palliative Care. Thank you for providing your leadership to these groups: Black Professionals, Patients, and Families...
Quarterly Progress Report
AAHPM Points of Progress
More than 30 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 during the...