Save the Date!

CCCC's 2^nd Annual Conference and Membership Meeting

Visions: New Directions for Compassionate Care

Join healthcare leaders from across the state to learn the latest on improving end-of-life care across the continuum.

Date: April 19

Location: Sheraton Grand, Sacramento

Register now for early bird rates!

CCCC Website Now ADA Compliant

Thanks to a donation from Uptown Studios, the CCCC website  is now compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Thank you Uptown Studios!

Become a CCCC Member

For over 10 years, CCCC has brought people together to work to improve end-of-life care in California.  We need your support in 2010! 

Become an official member of CCCC. Members receive reduced rates for CCCC events and trainings.

CARE Recommendations

The CARE (Compassion and Respect toward the End of Life) Recommendations: Steps and Tools to Redefine Healing and Hope in Nursing Homes - a joint project with the California Culture Change Coalition - are in the final design phase and will be available soon. Visit CCCC's website for more information.

POLST Train-the-Trainer Course in Southern CA

POLST: It Starts with a Conversation, CCCC's two-day train-the-trainer course provides opportunities for attendees to develop skills for facilitating meaningful conversations with patients and their families about POLST and goals of care. Space is limited. Sign up early!

Dates: April 29-30

Location: Alzheimer's Association Orange County Chapter, Irvine

Cost: $169 for CCCC members; $199 for non-members.

Hospice Publication for African-Americans

"Questions & Answers About Hospice for You or a Loved One," produced by Partners in Care, presents real life stories of African-Americans and their experiences with hospice. For a limited time, these brochures will be available free of charge to organizations serving seriously-ill older adults. To download a copy, click here. Contact Sandy Atkins for more information.

Medicare Eliminates Consultation Codes

As of January 1, 2010, new rules came into effect for Medicare billing that include elimination of the consultation code. Visit the Center to Advance Palliative Care web site for more information.

One Million+ Enrolled in Hospice

Over one million people were enrolled in hospice provide by over 3,300 hospices in 2008, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Medicare spent more than $11 billion on hospice.  While long stays have grown longer, short stays remain virtually unchanged.

Doctors Delay End-of-Life Conversations

A study published online in the journal Cancer in January reveals that less than half of physicians would discuss end-of-life topics like resuscitation, hospice care, or where a patient wished to die, if the patient was still feeling well. Over 4,000 physicians completed the survey, and about 60% were non-cancer specialists.

Palliative Care in Nursing Homes

The January 2010 issue of Health Affairs contains two articles on palliative care and end-of-life care in nursing homes: "Raising the Standard: Palliative Care in Nursing Homes" and "A New Medicare End-of-Life Benefit for Nursing Home Residents."

California Physician Receives National Prize