When you’re healthy, discussing critical care and end-of-life options with your doctor is never at the top of your list of things you want to do, but making these decisions early can provide a great deal of assurance and comfort to your loved ones if anything does happen to you. In the event of a sudden illness or tragedy, your family will want to know that they’re making the right decisions for your care. Having access to your living will or advance directive will help them do that.
Your doctor can help you decide whether “heroic” measures should be taken in certain critical situations where you can’t communicate your wishes. You can then put those decisions in writing so that your doctors and family can act appropriately if the situation ever arises.
Medicare will now pay your doctor to have this discussion with you. Be sure to ask about it if you want to make your wishes known.
Medicare Aims to Foster Critical Care Talks With Doctors – ABC News
http://news.google.com Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:53:50 GMT
Medicare Aims to Foster Critical Care Talks With Doctors – ABC News – Medicare wants more doctors and patients to talk about the tough care decisions that must be made if a person becomes seriously ill or incapacitated. The federal entity, which covers health care for people over age 65, has started reimbursing doctors for having face-to-face, advance care planning discussions about a patient’s treatment preferences should they become unable to speak for themselves …