Background: After discharge from an acute care hospitalization, cancer patients may choose to pursue rehabilitative care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF). Our objective was to examine receipt of anti-cancer therapy, death, readmission, and hospice use of cancer patients who discharge to a SNF compared to those who discharge home or home with home health […]

Background: Palliative care in seriously ill patients has been shown in some studies to improve satisfaction, symptoms, inpatient mortality rates, healthcare utilization and cost. While inpatient palliative care has been shown to improve symptoms and quality of life measures, the literature on its association with 30-day readmissions have been mixed for heart failure hospitalizations. We […]

Background: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) pose a unique problem because prognosis is difficult to predict; therefore, treatment decisions are complex with uncertain outcomes. According to the American College of Surgeons 2018 Trauma Quality Improvement Project (TQIP), identified patients should receive a palliative care assessment within 24 hours, a family conversation should be held within 72 […]

Background: Although the vast majority of adult patients in the United States prefer to die at home, most patients die in acute care settings. Barriers include advanced care planning, communication between inpatient and outpatient providers, and delivery of medical equipment. In 2018, our General Medicine Service Line ranked 73rd out of 98 Academic Medical Centers […]

Case Presentation: WF, an 88-year-old man with advanced, wild-type transthyretin-associated (ATTR) cardiac amyloidosis (on tafamidis) complicated by distal conduction disease and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, presented with syncope and was admitted to the cardiac critical care unit for symptomatic, bradycardic atrial fibrillation. A continuous dopamine infusion was started with resolution of symptoms and […]