This Saturday every American has the opportunity, like we do every day, to take steps to ensure that our wishes regarding future health care wishes are honored.  National Healthcare Decisions Day is now in its 4th year!  This is a chance to think through your values regarding your health care, and to choose the person you would trust to make decisions on your behalf if you were ever incapacitated to the point that you could not express yourself.  As a physician, I deeply appreciate when my patients have taken this important step.  Once you have chosen your trusted person, have a conversation with them about what is important to you when it comes to your health, particularly if you were to face a serious accident or health crisis.  Then, complete Power of Attorney for Health Care paperwork to officially authorize this person to make decisions on your behalf.  (Link is specific to my home state of NC).  Finally, thank your Power of Attorney for their willingness to play this important role!

For more information (and for links to other states’ forms) visit NHDD.org.

Today while driving between nursing homes, I heard Rush Limbaugh talking about the health care reform bill’s Advance Care Planning Consultation section. He, like some other conservative talkers, was complaining that the government was mandating these consultations as a way to usher patients towards an early death in order to save money. In my previous post I explained why this was an unfair characterization of Section 1233, and that it makes sense to reimburse doctors for the time they spend talking with patients and families about their health care wishes. I decided to call in, and I actually got through. “Dave in Chicago, you’re next..” Rush said.

I explained that I was a physician, and that there are many aspects of the current health care reform bill that I disagree with, but that this provision was actually a good idea. I said that I often take extra time to ask my patients about choosing their power of attorney and about their end-of-life care wishes, and that it was smart of Medicare to encourage these conversations by providing a small reimbursement to doctors who initiate such discussions, since the current structure requires doctors to essentially offer this service for free. I started to explain that the bill actually does not mandate these conversations between doctors and patients, nor does it mandate their content. Then I realized that Rush was talking and my voice was turned off. He once again incorrectly insisted that the bill will mandate a consultation promoting “death care,” a term he claimed I had used. He said that I was welcome to have those conversations with my patients, but that anyone who had a doctor like Dave in Chicago who insisted on talking about “death care” should find a new doctor. I tried to protest but quickly realized that my voice was turned off and that our “conversation” was over.

Rush Limbaugh’s reaction to my call was a stark reminder that many people completely misunderstand palliative medicine and end-of-life care. While he railed on about doctors being mandated to discuss death with their patients, I could sense an underlying fear, perhaps about his own mortality. Death is inevitable, and one of the greatest gifts I can give my patients is to help them look ahead to possible scenarios and to express their thoughts and wishes about their medical care while they are still able. Those of us who practice this skill do not attempt to usher our patients toward an early death for the sake of utilizing fewer health care dollars. All too often I have watched patients and families undergo painful and invasive treatments which are unlikely to extend life or provide any healing, simply because they felt they were obligated to submit to such treatments. No doctor had ever laid out the real picture, that their prognosis was poor and their choices were limited by their disease. They needed to hear that their realistic options had shifted away from the best course for avoiding death to the best way to maximize the quality of life remaining. They needed to know that there was another path, and they probably needed to hear that from a doctor. Many doctors avoid these conversations because they are uncomfortable or awkward. Doctors who talk about death with their patients are brave.

I do understand the fear that more government-sponsored health care will lead to rationing and could result in seniors being denied services simply because of their age. That is a real concern. It is a reason I am not in favor of more government involvement in health care. However, please do not make the same mistake Rush Limbaugh made today and equate coversations about end-of-life care with promoting “death care.” Expressing your wishes to your doctor, and asking about options if and when you become ill, serves to promote patient choice and control, not take away from it. I still think government-run health care is a bad idea, but as long as Medicare pays for most seniors’ health care, I think it is admirable that they are looking at ways to make it easier for doctors to assist their patients with advance care planning.

This morning on WMBI-FM I spoke about Alzheimer’s disease. Judging by the number of calls and follow up e-mails I received, this is a topic that affects many people. Below are more resources that I have found helpful:

Information from the National Institutes of Health (main site here)
Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet
Alzheimer’s Disease Medications

Watch HBO’s new documentary The Alzheimer’s Project free online!

Caregiver resources from the Alzheimer’s Association

For Illinois residents, a place to print advance care planning documents like Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. Everyone should have one of these. All you need to do is choose the person who you would trust to make health care decisions in the event that you cannot express your wishes. Then put it in writing, and talk with your power of attorney about your wishes.

On yesterday’s radio program, a woman called me to ask about the arthritis pain she was experiencing in her knees. She is not alone. Osteoarthritis of the knees is one of the most common joint disorders. It occurs when the cartilage padding between the bones wears down over time. Additional pressure on the knees, whether from being a Major League catcher or from being overweight, will cause that wearing-down process to progress more quickly.