An impending policy change in Medicare will provide reimbursement for the end-of-life conversation. The rise in numbers of older adults who face serious illness coupled with advances in healthcare technology are increasing the need for providers to address end of life issues in the acute care setting. Doctoral-level nurse practitioners who specialize in acute care of older adults are poised to be leaders and facilitators of this conversation in a particularly challenging context–the intensive care unit. The focus of this article is the new end-of-life policy in relation to the particular contributions that adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioners offer in the acute care setting.
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