Partners in Palliative Care Program

2. What is Palliative Care? A philosophy of care Prevent and relieve suffering Quality of life Personal growth An organized, highly structured care model Enhancement to disease-based treatment Assist with decision making Rendered along with life prolonging treatment, or as main focus of care nationalconsensusproject.org

3. Question� �Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next one to two years?�

4. Current Healthcare State � Crisis Management So, where do many patients today turn when they have a health crisis? The HOSPITAL

5. One Solution: Palliative Care Program in Primary Care Office Setting Treatment options Based on patient�s wishes and values Face-to-face or electronic communication (EHR) Proactively avoiding crisis Medical and social conditions addressed Office visits when appropriate

6. Program Interventions Program Referral Assessment Volunteer Chaplain Care planning w/MD and patient/family Case/Symptom Management Monthly contact by phone or home visit Documentation Data collection

7. Satisfactions Surveys for Partners Program Patients Very High (4.8/5.0) Providers Excellent (5.0/5.0)

8. 2007 � Hospice UtilizationPROVIDENCE HOSPICE N=898 PARTNERS PROGRAM N=63

9. Hospital Admission Rate Date Range: 8/4/04 � 10/30/06

10. Our Goals To empower patients in managing their end of life care To increase Primary care office case mgmt Patient/provider satisfaction Use of community resources Hospice and home health referrals To decrease Unnecessary hospitalizations and ER visits

11. James Lee MD jlee@everettclinic.com