Dear CAPC e-NEWS Subscriber,

We are pleased to offer the following news and announcements:

1. Register Now for CAPC's Next Grand Rounds Audio Conference: Talking to the Family, May 1^st at 1 pm EST.

2. CAPC Conference a Resounding Success.

3. CAPC's Next Management Training Seminar.

4. How Palliative Care Helps Meet JCAHO Standards.

5. CAPC Maintains Whirlwind Speaking Schedule to Promote Palliative Care.

6. Articles of Interest.

7. Save the Date! Calendar of Events.

1.GRAND ROUNDS AUDIO CONFERENCE. . .

Thursday, May 1^st
1:00 pm Eastern Time

Daniel Fischberg, MD, PhD, Chief of Medical Services
Jane Morris, RN, MS, Clinical Director
Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Mount Sinai School of Medicine (NY)

Talking to the family in an informative, yet sensitive, way is one of the cornerstones of palliative care. Hear how one team does it. Learn what to say and what not to say.  Listen as our speakers share how they structure family meetings and explain the key elements you should know. 

This monthly one-hour call is free of charge - but space is very limited and only available on a first come, first served basis. TO REGISTER, please contact Margaret Schutz at margaret.schutz@mssm.edu, or call (212) 201-2671. Ms. Schutz will be glad to answer any questions you may have about the audio conference. We look forward to hearing from you.

CAPC's recent management training seminar in Philadelphia was a resounding success. Sold out well in advance, the conference drew attendees from an array of backgrounds including hospital physicians, nurses, hospice medical directors, managers/administrators, social workers, and clergy.

94% of attendees indicated that the conference made them more confident about planning a palliative care program and the presentations and tools were essential to starting and maintaining palliative care programs. To view the presentations that made this conference such a success, go to http://www.capc.org.

3. WATCH OUT FOR CAPC'S NEXT MANAGEMENT TRAINING SEMINAR . . .

The next CAPC management training seminar will be held from October 23-25, 2003 in San Diego, California. Watch for announcements, as once again we expect vigorous enrollment. Conference registration will begin in July. As always, we welcome comments and feedback that will help us further enhance our conferences. Send suggestions to: barbara.mastroddi@mssm.edu

Helping meet a variety of JCAHO hospital accreditation standards is one of the benefits palliative care programs can provide to hospitals. CAPC has posted an online tool that demonstrates how a palliative care program can help meet and maintain 2002 JCAHO standards by enhancing pain and symptom management strategies, streamlining the continuum of care, and facilitating coordination and communication.* It also shows how palliative care addresses other important accreditation domains, including patient assessment, family involvement, and patient and family education.

By implementing a palliative care program you will be better prepared to meet the upcoming changes to JCAHO's hospital review process, including real-time chart review and staff interviews. Access the document at http://www.capc.org/content/279.

*This document is currently being revised and updated.

CAPC faculty, including Dr. Diane Meier, CAPC director and director of the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (NY), have kept up a whirlwind pace in speaking to prestigious key groups about the extraordinary need to increase hospital-based palliative care programs across America.  One of the most compelling speakers in the field, Dr. Meier's most recent presentations have included SOMA (Society of Medical Administrators), DELETCC (Disseminating End of Life Education to Cancer Centers), VHA, ACS (American Cancer Society), and HRDI (Healthcare Research and Development Institute) at the end of April. 

The Last 2 Years of Life: Functional Trajectories of Frail Older People. Kenneth E. Covinsky MD, MPH, Catherine Eng, MD, Li-Yung Lui MA, MS, Laura P. Sands PhD, Kristine Yaffe MD, (JAGS, April 1, 2003, Vol. 51, Issue 4)
Study suggests that EOL care systems are poorly suited to the elderly with progressive frailty.
Click here to go to the abstract of this article:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1046/j.1532- 5415.2003.51157.x/

University of Michigan study reveals racial differences in chronic pain experience and pain treatment:
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/racialpain.htm

The United Hospital Fund has announced participants for the second year of its Palliative Care Quality Improvement Collaborative (PC-QulC). 24 health care organizations will participate in this regional collaboration: http://www.uhfnyc.org/press_release3159/press_releas e_ show.htm?doc