The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has voted unanimously to establish Hospice and Palliative Medicine as a new subspecialty. The motion was co-sponsored by 10 boards: The American Board of Internal Medicine, The American Board of Anesthesiology, The American Board of Family Medicine, The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, The American Board of Surgery, The American Board of Pediatrics, The American Board of Emergency Medicine, The American Board of Radiology and The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. An official announcement from ABMS should be available shortly. Additional information will be provided as soon as it is released.

This landmark event is critically important to the field of palliative care, as it signifies legitimization and recognition by medical leaders. It sends a powerful message to both healthcare professionals and the general public, promoting awareness of what palliative care is and why it is important. This will help facilitate access to palliative care services. Additionally, the Medicare GME dollars allotted to palliative care will support graduate medical education, and, in turn, will positively impact the future existence, size and strength of the field.

We are happy to announce that the Palliative Care Leadership Centers (PCLC) have secured additional funding from a consortium of foundations dedicated to supporting PCLC's mission to provide intensive training for teams starting palliative care programs.

In 2002, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation dedicated significant funding to the development of the Palliative Care Leadership Centers. These six exemplary palliative care programs have provided hands-on training and technical assistance to over 480 teams since launching in 2004. The PCLC hands-on, team-based model has met with great success. Data shows that 34% of teams that did not have a program at the time of the training had a new program by the six-month mark; by 12 months, 60% had started a new program.

It is a testament to the success of the PCLC training approach, and to the maturity of the field, that the demand for this type of technical assistance is growing and garnering widespread support.

To learn more about PCLC training, go to www.capc.org/pclc

CAPC introduces eMarketplace - a new, more user-friendly redesign of the old CAPC Store. The eMarketplace provides an easy way for CAPC website visitors to locate and order CAPC products online, such as the CAPC Guide, CAPC audio conferences, buttons and more. CAPC website visitors will soon be able to register online for CAPC seminars.

Visit the CAPC eMarketplace at https://shop.capc.org

Earlier this month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reversed a two-year-old ruling that prohibited physicians from writing multiple prescriptions for painkillers. Many pain specialists had reported that this policy had restricted their ability to appropriately treat chronically ill patients who needed strong morphine-based pain medications. Although the DEA continues to be committed to vigorously investigating physicians that have been identified as writing painkiller prescriptions for no "legitimate medical purpose," the organization was in agreement with the medical community that the prior policy was far too limiting.

The DEA proposed a formal rule that enables doctors to write multiple prescriptions in a single office visit for patients requiring a steady supply of morphine-based painkillers. The new policy allows physicians to write three 30-day prescriptions at a time, two of them future-dated, to be filled on a monthly basis.

To view the DEA press release, click here.

The new National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) is accepting Letters of Intent online for its pilot/exploratory project support grants and junior faculty career development awards in palliative care. The RFA is limited to applications that focus on palliative care research in one or more of three specific areas:

• Pain and symptom management
• Improving communication among health care providers, patients and their families
• Evaluating delivery models and systems of care for patients living with advanced illness and their families

Dr. Diane Meier, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, Director of the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Professor of Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, will appear on the nationally syndicated program, Open Mind, on November 4. Hosted by Richard Hefner, the program will air on PBS.

Benefits of Strong Relationships between Hospitalists and Referring Oncologists

Henkel, G. Palliative consult: Hospitalists' palliative care services thrive when they forge strong relationships with their referring oncologists. The Hospitalist; 10(5) May 2006.
To access the full article, click here.

Oncologists Support Hospital-Based Palliative Care

Henkel, G. Hospital-based palliative care programs boon for patients, staff alike. Oncology Times; 28 (13) July 2006.
To access the full article, click here.

Integrating Palliative Care in the ICU

Nelson JE, Mulkerin CM, Adams LL, Provonost, PJ. Improving comfort and communication in the ICU: A practical new tool for palliative care performance measurement and feedback. Quality and Safety in Healthcare 2006; 15(4) 2006.

To access the abstract, click here.

To read the full article, click here.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming Audio Conferences . . .

Strengthening the Hospital-Hospice Connection Through In-Patient Palliative Care
Thursday, October 19, 2006
1:30 - 2:30 PM Eastern
10:30 - 11:30 AM Pacific

Featured Speakers:
Philip H. Santa-Emma, MD,
Medical Director, Palliative Care Services,
Mount Carmel Health System

Mary Ann Gill, MA, RN
Executive Director, Palliative Care Services,
Mount Carmel Health System

Register Now!


FREE! How to Fast-Track Your Palliative Care Program: An Open Forum with Leaders of the Palliative Care Leadership Centers

Thursday, December 7, 2006
1:30 - 2:30 PM Eastern
10:30 - 11:30 AM Pacific

Registration Coming Soon . . .