New Report from Massachusetts Expert Panel On End-Of-Life Care

This week, the blue ribbon Massachusetts Expert Panel on End-Of-Life Care issued its report.  It found three core principles on which there is consensus:

1. From the time of diagnosis, as early as possible, every patient with a serious illness that may be fatal should be fully informed of the range of ways they might be taken care of. 


2. If the patient has preferences among that range, either for efforts to prolong life or for, say, as much time at home as possible, whatever those preferences are should be known, documented, and always available when decisions are going to be made.


3. Those preferences should always be respected when a person receives care.

To achieve these ends, the Panel makes several specific proposals which would be equally beneficial in any other state too:

1. A public awareness campaign to educate people about their options and encourage them to plan for their own end-stages.


2. Spread MOLST statewide.


3. Require institutions that care for patients with “life-limiting” conditions to systematically identify patients who could benefit from hospice or palliative care and help them get it.


4. Increase training in palliative care, and training in other forms of end-of-life care.


5. Require all health insurers to cover hospice care.


6. The creation of an “entity” to oversee and evaluate the state’s efforts at improving end-of-life care.