Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Advance Care Planning Lessons from Gunderson Lutheran (NBC Rock Center)


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1 comment:

  1. 1302 cI saw this broadcast and could empathize with the elderly couple who decided ahead of time what would be done and NOT be done when death was just around the corner.

    Their tears revealed that they were already living the pain and agony of separation BEFORE death and earthly separation was a reality. --- Apparently, because they were afraid that they might change their minds if they waited until they were ACTUALLY looking death in the face.

    The current law, of course, allows elderly and all patients to change their minds about an Advanced Directive that is shortening their life and request live-saving and life-extending treatment --unless a procedure is deemed "medically futile" ---isn't this true?

    We can see, however, when they send Harry Smith on assignment, that in not too many years, it will be the obligation and duty of elderly and very ill Medicare patients to die quickly ---to shorten their lives ----and to save money for the government and the private insurers.

    I know you are in favor of advance planning, etc.. but there is a great risk of abuse of the advance directives when patients of any age are urged to make advance directives that permit hospitals/physicians to place DNR status in the hospital charts ----that automatically enables hospitals/physicians to keep elderly Medicare patients who are being treated palliatively or curatively OUT of ICUs and CCUs to save money for Medicare and the private insurers.

    There is no doubt that Gunderson Lutheran is doing good work but there is also no doubt that the DNR status is being widely abused and and that the public should be educated to the fiscal realities that face hospitals and physicians when elderly patients are OVERTREATED and UNDERTREATED, as the case may be.

    Why don't they send Harry Smith out to look at this problem?

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