CBD in the Hospice Setting
More and more terminal patients and their families are calling upon cannabis to provide some symptom relief, and understandably so. Cannabis has been used for centuries to treat a broad…
Relatedness and the Hospice Election Statement Addendum
CMS has long taken the position that “services unrelated to the terminal illness and related conditions should be exceptional, unusual and rare given the comprehensive nature of the services covered…
Statin Discontinuation in Hospice Patients
Hospice prescribers and pharmacists have long approached statins as appropriate for discontinuation in their patients who have no active cardiovascular disease since preventative or prophylaxis medications, as well as…
Medication Discontinuation in Dementia Patients
Understanding the progressive nature of dementia can help in the decision to continue or discontinue dementia medications in patients on hospice care for end-stage dementia. Goals change as patients progress…
Opioids and Allergies
Hospice patients often communicate allergies to medications. When the medication is an opioid, hospice staff often have to determine whether the reaction that the patient believed to be an allergy…
Increasing Awareness of Melatonin
The ever-increasing awareness of the dangers of hypnotic use in the elderly leaves many patients, prescribers, and caregivers hesitant to initiate prescription medications to treat insomnia. Combined with the increased…
Make Sure the Pharmacist Knows…
Meeting the Conditions of Participations (CoPs) medication review requirements is important. However, even more important is ensuring that the pharmacist performing the reviews is aware of all pertinent patient co-morbidities. …
Safe Medication Practices
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has long recognized the frequency of mix-ups resulting from the non-standardization of units utilized in measuring volume of oral liquid medications. Since 2009,…
Options for Switching Antipsychotics
Medication cost, adverse effects, and poor therapeutic response often necessitate switching a hospice patient from one antipsychotic to another. Prescribers can choose among several options when a switch is necessary.…
Medication Discontinuation in Dementia Patients By Corina Reyna, PharmD, BCGP
Understanding the progressive nature of dementia can help in the decision to continue or discontinue dementia medications in patients on hospice care for end-stage dementia. Goals change as patient’s progress…