I also watched as patients, some under my care, and some of my own family and closest friends, each of whom clearly had nothing more to gain from costly and futile efforts at life-saving care, were mercifully allowed to transition to hospice care before discharge home.
Bartlett quotes doctors who spoke to her on condition of anonymity who say that allowing patients to have access to hospice care while in hospital appears to be an attempt to distort death results rather than an act of mercy. I find this to be a shameful attempt to sully the work of a dedicated health care institution.
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Dr. Martin P Solomon
Mashpee
We all benefit from transparent accounting for health care outcomes
Thank you for this important piece of reporting by Jessica Bartlett. We all benefit from clear, transparent accounting for health care outcomes. The article attempts to provide balance, as did the anonymously quoted Mass General Brigham medical professionals who question the hospital system’s claims of a significant improvement in mortality rates.
Whatever the case, I would emphasize that the improvements aren’t numbers — they represent loved ones who are still with us.
Michael Guerin
Gloucester
Yet another reminder to make end-of-life plans
Mass General Brigham is trumpeting the wrong message. Yes, preventing and treating infections is important. No, shifting patients to hospice does not reduce mortality, but it does prioritize the use of clinical resources more realistically, which is worth mentioning.
A 2017 study found that only about one-third of Americans had end-of-life directives. Without such documentation, hospitals are obliged to run codes, such as CPR and other responses, on patients such as the elderly and terminal cancer patients. It’s a gruesome process.
Dr. Owen Reynolds
Haverhill