Excelsior Life

, a faculty member in the Schools of Health Science and Nursing at Excelsior College, joins the show to discuss a September 2014 report issued by the Institute of Medicine called “Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life.” Alecson is faculty member in the Schools of Health Science and Nursing, an author, and one of Excelsior’s resident experts on death, dying and bereavement. 0:30 Top takeaways from “Dying in America” report. 4:55 “Most people aren’t planning for their demise.” 5:48 Palliative care versus hospice care. 7:50 Characteristics of the U.S. health care system that impede high quality end-of-life care. 11:45 Why a lack of physician-patient communication leads to higher ER visits. 13:38 Transparency over reimbursements. 13:26 Opportunities for improvement.   15:00 Reform - what do accountability measures look like? 16:25 Public education and awareness campaigns. Show Notes (Institute of Medicine)