SCCMA BioEthics Committee Share a Model Policy on Health Care Decisions for Incapacitated Patients Without Surrogates (Update to SCCMA 2001 Policy) The SCCMA Bioethics Committee updated a policy written in 2001. The new document, Health Care Decisions for Incapacitated Patients Without Surrogates: Revisions to the 2001 SCCMA Model Policy, is intended as guidance to provide procedural mechanisms whereby ethically and medically appropriate health care decisions can be made on behalf of adult persons who lack health care decision-making capacity and for whom no willing and able surrogate decision-maker can be identified. The original policy was written in 2001. Because the previous policy was over 20 years old, it was felt by the Bioethics Committee that a revised ... May 1, 2023 General, Healthcare, Patient Care incapacitated patient, treatment guidelines 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Launches Initiative to Improve Quality of Life for People with Dementia CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA New Cognitive Health Assessment and Warmline Help Practitioners Identify Dementia Primary care providers in California have a new dementia screening tool, the cognitive health assessment, available to help identify cognitive decline in their patients (age 65 and older) and determine next steps. Dementia Care Aware, a statewide initiative led by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), provides training on this new assessment and support through a warmline to help primary care providers successfully screen for dementia in ... April 12, 2023 General, Healthcare, Patient Care DHCS, HCS 0 0 Comment Read More »
CHCF Shares Resources to Support Palliative Care in Public Hospitals For people with serious illness, palliative care programs provide essential services to address the complex physical and emotional burdens that come with such illnesses. These programs are available in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Yet even with ample evidence about the positive impact of these services, leaders in palliative care programs often have to make the case about the value of these services. California Health Care Foundation's (CHCF) collection Resources to Support Palliative Care in Public Hospitals includes information and tools to help leaders of palliative care programs at public health ... April 11, 2023 General, Health Net, Healthcare, Patient Care, Public Health Hospitals, Palliative Care 0 0 Comment Read More »
DEA publishes guidance on new training requirements for prescribers of controlled substances On March 28, 2023, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released recommendations and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued specific guidance on how practitioners can meet the new training requirements for DEA-registered prescribers of controlled substances. The new law requires all prescribers of schedule II – V controlled substances to meet a one-time eight-hour training requirement on identifying, treating, and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Many California-licensed physicians may have already met the new DEA requirements because California requires similar education. While the California Medical Association (CMA) did not ... April 6, 2023 DEA, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, General, Healthcare, Mental Health, Patient Care SAMHSA, TRAINING 0 0 Comment Read More »
SCC HEALTH ADVISORY: Xylazine Presence in Illicit Drug Supply (P2) DATE: April 3, 2023 TO: All Healthcare Providers FROM: Michelle Jorden, MD, F-ABMDI Chief Medical Examiner - Coroner Akanksha Vaidya, MD, MPH Assistant Public Health Officer HEALTH ADVISORY: XYLAZINE PRESENCE IN ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY Xylazine, a non-opioid agent developed as a veterinary tranquilizer, has been increasingly detected in the nation’s illicit opioid supply. Xylazine has been associated with fatal overdoses and chronic wounds, with areas in the Northeast USA being heavily impacted. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Laboratory System reported that in 2022, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine. In Santa ... April 3, 2023 General, Healthcare, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
