Friends,

Consumer Reports Health has launched many new online "hubs" recently with focuses on a variety of Choosing Wisely related topics, including antibiotic overuse, medical tests before surgery, safe pregnancy, and screening tests. Today they launched a new hub on a topic that has been very present in the news recently -- that of caregiving, end-of-life decisions, and medical tests, and treatments for older adults.

Highlights of this hub include:

·  A short and emotional documentary that we created, called A Beautiful Death, which follows a courageous man through his final weeks of life -- including his funeral -- as he, his family, and his caregivers make end-of-life decisions together. 

·  A Consumer Reports magazine article, released to newsstands today, also called A Beautiful Death. A synopsis of the article is as follows: Paul Scheier lived a full and loving life. So when his cancer returned at age 86, he said no more hospitals, no chemo. He faced the end on his own terms—something that’s not easy to do in America today. But he showed that it can be done. 

·  A two-page report that we wrote, in conjunction with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), called Palliative and Hospice Care: Comfort during a serious illness or the final months of life. You will also find a link toNHPCO's Moments of Life site on our hub.

·  Over 13 Choosing Wisely brochures on various topics for seniors, caregivers and those making end of life decisions. This includes a new six page "round-up" that we created on a variety of Choosing Wisely topics, called Advice for Caregivers: Treatments and tests for seniors. 

·  Links at the bottom of the hub to Consumer Reports magazines articles called Caring for the Caregiver, Regional Variation in Care, and Too Much Treatment. And, of course, we have a link to the Wikipedia article called "Caregiver."

As the national dialogue around caregiving and aging continues, I hope you find these materials useful and ask that you share them widely with your friends and family. 

CR will be Tweeting about these materials and today's launch, and invite you to join the conversation by following @ConsumerDavid. Below are some sample Tweets which you're welcome to use as you share this information on your own social media platforms:

For the Caregiving hub:

·  As the end approaches, what's the best care, and how do you get it? bit.ly/1tWC3eK #ChoosingWisely

·  #ChoosingWisely applies also to medical care toward the end of life. bit.ly/1tWC3eK

·  #ChoosingWisely when you're in charge of someone's care toward the end of their life. bit.ly/1tWC3eK

For the NHPCO guide:

·  This clear, new guide clarifies palliative care and hospice care.  bit.ly/1DxLjFl @NHPCO_news

·  A guide to providing comfort during serious illness or the final months. bit.ly/1DxLjFl @NHPCO_news

CRO End of Life package: 

·  A Beautiful Death: Consumer Reports' special feature on the end of life. bit.ly/1DQ488J

·  A life well-lived and thoughtfully ended: See Consumer Reports' feature on the end of life. bit.ly/1DQ488J

Anyone interested in reviewing Consumer Reports’ previously-released hubs, you can find them all here.

The tears will never stop...

It is coming up to 6 years since we saw our daughter. 

I spoke to her on Friday night, November 7.
We talked about how much she was looking 

forward to starting her new job.

That day never came for her.

The huge hole in our hearts has never closed for us. 

I don't need to say anything else to those
who are living without their precious children.  

The picture's sentiment says a lot. 

Gold Bless

Is your doctor's income enhanced by drug companies?

Find out if your doctor takes payments from drug companies

New government data show more than 500,000 U.S. physicians have industry ties

Published: September 30, 2014 05:30 PM

When you walk into your doctor’s office and see clipboards and pens emblazoned with brand names of drugs, do you ever wonder just how much money he or she is getting from pharmaceutical companies? Starting this week, it’s now just a click away. This Tuesday the federal government under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, as part of the Affordable Healthcare Act, began to release details of payments from pharmaceutical and medical device makers to doctors and teaching hospitals for promotional speaking, consulting, meals, travel, research, and other activities.

Why is this important?

First, research shows these payments influence doctors in their choice of treatments. Second, our national telephone polls have consistently found that a strong majority of consumers are concerned about these cozy relationships and think that drug makers have too much influence on doctors’ decisions about which drug to prescribe. Our polls have also revealed that the bulk of consumers think doctors should inform their patients about payments they’ve received from a company whose drugs they are about to prescribe.

"A major conflict of interest is at work when a physician has accepted payments from a drug or device-making company whose products he or she then prescribes or implants," says Marvin Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports senior medical adviser. "The Sunshine Act will be embarrassing to some and infuriating to others, but is an excellent step toward consumer protection."  

How to look up your doctor

The data, which is being released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on 546,000 physicians on payments totaling more than $3.5 billion, isn’t easily searchable for an individual doctor yet. And, it only includes payments from August to December 2013. But you can search by your doctor’s name at the site Dollars for Docs run by Propublica. That site has been tracking pharmaceutical companies payments to doctors for the past four years and includes payment data from 2013 as well.

What does the data tell you?

You can find out if your doctor has received payments from a company that makes a medication or device they are recommending for you. It will also reveal how much money they have received. For example, some doctors may have received as little as $20 or so for a meal, while others have accepted payments totaling more than $100,000.00. If your doctor has accepted payments, ProPublica offers several tips for how to discuss the issue with them.