Q-Life called a good program by reader
To The Editor:
The program, Q-Life, is one of the best programs I have read about, RE: Health reform brings end-of-life to forefront, by Dan Warner. It is a program that consists of a team of a nurse and social worker who meet with patients at least an hour a day to accomplish two major goals. 1. To manage pain and other debilitating symptoms, 2. Help the patient develop a plan for the end of life.
Q-Life operates on a budget of $500,000 a year, money that comes from general hospital funds, paid for by all hospital revenue, including insurance payments.
There are 1,300 hospitals across the nation, 71 in Florida, that offers palliative care programs. It is voluntary and prescribed by attending physicians. The program started five years ago, and all ready it has shorten the length of stay in intensive care, lowered cost andmortality, lowered the rate of re-admissions to hospitals, for those enrolled in the program. Most of all, patients go home better prepared to cope with illness and have higher life and mood measures. “Advance care planning is really now a part of primary care”, according to Dr. Diane Meier, director of the center to advance palliative care. I applaud Dr. Meier and Lee Memorial Hospital for their efforts in the Q-Life program.
I do not agree with Dr. Meier’s assertion that Sarah Palin and others are liars, because they question the proposal in the Health Care bill, thatpays doctors through Medicare for consultation on end-of-life issues. Also, it is not a target for people who want to terrify the public on health care reform. All one has to do, is look at what has happened to any program the government has funded and taken over.
In the case of large companies, they fired the CEOs, put in their own people, appointed czars, to run they. In the case of the carcompanies, another czar, tells them what kind of car they can build, and we have to drive. What makes any-one think the take over of the Q-Life program, by the government, would be any different.
It is not the program we are against, it is the take over by the government and them telling you who will beappointed to administer the program, and how it will be run. As of now, the program is funded by the hospitals, ran by the doctors, nurses, social workers and others in the private sector. It needs to remain this way, with-out government interference and czars. With the governments track record, we know this will change with a passing of the governments health care plan.
It is not lies nor a target to terrify people on health care reform. It is simply to draw public attention to the difference in private application of these programs, compared to governmentapplication of anything they under-take. The Q-Life program run by the private sector is a wonderful program. The Q-Life program run by the government could well be a “Death Panel.”
Amon Louis Kerns
Lehigh Acres
Q-Life called a good program by reader
To The Editor:
The program, Q-Life, is one of the best programs I have read about, RE: Health reform brings end-of-life to forefront, by Dan Warner. It is a program that consists of a team of a nurse and social worker who meet with patients at least an hour a day to accomplish two major goals. 1. To manage pain and other debilitating symptoms, 2. Help the patient develop a plan for the end of life.
Q-Life operates on a budget of $500,000 a year, money that comes from general hospital funds, paid for by all hospital revenue, including insurance payments.
There are 1,300 hospitals across the nation, 71 in Florida, that offers palliative care programs. It is voluntary and prescribed by attending physicians. The program started five years ago, and all ready it has shorten the length of stay in intensive care, lowered cost andmortality, lowered the rate of re-admissions to hospitals, for those enrolled in the program. Most of all, patients go home better prepared to cope with illness and have higher life and mood measures. “Advance care planning is really now a part of primary care”, according to Dr. Diane Meier, director of the center to advance palliative care. I applaud Dr. Meier and Lee Memorial Hospital for their efforts in the Q-Life program.
I do not agree with Dr. Meier’s assertion that Sarah Palin and others are liars, because they question the proposal in the Health Care bill, thatpays doctors through Medicare for consultation on end-of-life issues. Also, it is not a target for people who want to terrify the public on health care reform. All one has to do, is look at what has happened to any program the government has funded and taken over.
In the case of large companies, they fired the CEOs, put in their own people, appointed czars, to run they. In the case of the carcompanies, another czar, tells them what kind of car they can build, and we have to drive. What makes any-one think the take over of the Q-Life program, by the government, would be any different.
It is not the program we are against, it is the take over by the government and them telling you who will beappointed to administer the program, and how it will be run. As of now, the program is funded by the hospitals, ran by the doctors, nurses, social workers and others in the private sector. It needs to remain this way, with-out government interference and czars. With the governments track record, we know this will change with a passing of the governments health care plan.
It is not lies nor a target to terrify people on health care reform. It is simply to draw public attention to the difference in private application of these programs, compared to governmentapplication of anything they under-take. The Q-Life program run by the private sector is a wonderful program. The Q-Life program run by the government could well be a “Death Panel.”
Amon Louis Kerns
Lehigh Acres
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