News in brief - July 25, 2011

Palliative care increasing in hospitals - New California medical school opening postponed

Palliative care increasing in hospitals

The prevalence of palliative care teams in hospitals with more than 50 beds has more than doubled since 2000, said a July report from the Center to Advance Palliative Care. In 2000, about a quarter of 50-plus bed hospitals had palliative care teams. That figure rose to 63% by 2009, the most recent year for which data are available.

About 70% of 50-plus bed hospitals in the Northeast, Midwest and West have palliative care programs, but only about half of hospitals in the South offer them, said the report (www.capc.org/news-and-events/releases/capc-growth-snapshot-2011.pdf). The bigger the hospital, the more likely it has a program, with 85% of 300-plus bed facilities having palliative care teams. Fifty-four percent of hospitals between 50 and 299 beds have palliative care programs, while less than a quarter of hospitals with fewer than 50 beds have them.

Palliative care programs are composed of a multidisciplinary team of health professionals who offer coordinated pain and symptom relief to seriously ill patients.

New California medical school opening postponed

The opening of a California medical school is being delayed due to state funding issues, school officials said.

The University of California, Riverside School of Medicine was to open in the fall of 2012 (www.medschool.ucr.edu). But $650 million in state cuts for the entire University of California system next fiscal year means the school must wait to appeal the Liaison Committee on Medical Education's decision not to grant preliminary accreditation. The cuts are expected to delay its opening by one year.

"While deeply disappointing, I am not disillusioned by this outcome, because it is occurring in a very difficult economic time," Chancellor Timothy P. White, PhD, said in a June 29 statement. "No one has spoken against the merits of our school of medicine. This is a temporary setback, but we will prevail."

The school cannot accept student applications, but hired staff will continue to work. One other California school -- California Northstate University College of Medicine in Rancho Cordova -- is seeking LCME accreditation.