What's New | October 24, 2012

Integrated End-of-Life Care

The aging of baby boomers and an increased need to contain hospital costs in the United States has led many organizations to fine tune their services for patients who are in need of palliative care. Most patients prefer to remain in their home at this time of their life; palliative and coordinated care can help them maintain control of their care choices, avoid inpatient and emergency department costs, and increase their satisfaction with their end-of-life care.

The featured Innovations describe two programs that used palliative care to help elderly and terminally ill patients make greater use of hospice and home care services. A third program coordinated care for Medicare patients and their families, allowing them to define their wishes and options for end-of-life care, increase their use of hospice services, and reduce the incidence of inpatient stays.

The featured QualityTools provide educational, clinical, and organizational resources and information to help ensure better care for patients and their families as they face end-of-life issues.

Featured Innovations:

• In-Home Palliative Care Allows More Patients to Die at Home, Leading to Higher Satisfaction and Lower Acute Care Utilization and Costs

• System-Integrated Program Coordinates Care for People With Advanced Illness, Leading to Greater Use of Hospice Services, Lower Utilization and Costs, and High Satisfaction

• Palliative Care Nurses in Primary Care Clinics Reduce Hospital Admissions, Increase Use of Hospice and Home Care for Patients Nearing End of Life
with Expert Commentary

Featured QualityTools:

• Palliative Care Tools
Developed by American Association of Critical-Care Nurses; Harvard Medical School; Lehigh Valley Hospital Network; Massachusetts General Hospital; New Jersey Medical School; University of Washington

• Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Sample Forms
Developed by Center for Ethics in Health Care, Oregon Health & Science University

• TriCentral Palliative Care Program Toolkit
Developed by Kaiser Permanente-TriCentral Service Area

Featured Articles:

• Effective Palliative Care Programs Require Health System Change

View Other Issues

Also in This Issue:

Innovations >

• Intensive Counseling of Students by School Nurses Does Not Have Larger Impact on Long-Term Smoking Rates Than Briefer Sessions

• Long-Term Expressive Therapy and Caregiver Support Improves Emotional Health of Low-Income Children Affected by Trauma
with Story

• Standardized Order Bundles and Ongoing Care Coordination Expedite Testing and Specialty Consults for Primary Care Patients With Common Conditions

QualityTools >

• Dartmouth Atlas Project
Developed by The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice

• Improving Patient Safety in Long-Term Care Facilities: Training Modules
Developed by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

• MONAHRQ® 4.0
Developed by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality