The hospice and palliative care patient populations are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection. Understanding the risk points can be key for providers to minimize the potential risks of COVID-19 on aging and seriously ill patients. The symptoms of COVID-19 will be considerably more severe for adults age 60 or older who […]
Caring for a chronically ill loved one, or a person who has reached the end-of-life, involves tremendous effort and sacrifice on the part of unpaid caregivers, including patients’ spouses, significant others, children and other friends or family. A new study indicates that many of these caregivers are themselves in poor health, which can impact high-acuity […]
Close to 40% of patients in a recent study received end-of-life services in an intensive care unit, contrary to their wishes as documented in Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). Researchers considered 1,818 patients suffering from serious or chronic illness who died between 2010 and 2017 in a two-hospital academic health system. Some patients were […]
Among myocardial infarction (MI) patients only about 1% receive palliative care, even for patients who have a terminal prognosis, according to recent research. These patients represent an underserved population who need care as well as an untapped market for palliative care providers. Most of the (MI) patients who did receive palliative care died during hospitalization, […]
While many hospice and palliative care providers are focused on community-based care that allows patients to age in place, even palliative care provided in a hospital can reduce utilization of higher-acuity care, such as the intensive care unit (ICU). Palliative care reduces treatment intensity at the end-of-life for hospitalized patients, according to new study on […]
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) view prevention of hospitalization, readmissions and emergency department visits as top priorities, according to new research published in Health Affairs. Hospices marketing themselves to ACOs would do well to keep those metrics in mind when interfacing with those organizations. Close to 1,000 ACOs cover 44 million patients nationwide as of the […]
Non-medical needs related to social determinants of health have a significant impact on the trajectory of patients medical care. Community-based palliative care delivered in the home can help patients address these needs, avoiding costly and unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency department visits, according to a recent paper from Turn Key Health. Social determinants of health include […]
A rising number of Medicare Advantage plans are offering home-based palliative care as a supplemental benefit. This year, 61 plans offer a palliative care benefit compared to 15 during 2019, a new Duke University report indicates. Hospices provide about 50% of home-based palliative care in the United States according to the Center to Advance Palliative […]
Advance care planning is associated with longer life among terminally ill patients, a recent study in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care found. Through advance care planning, patients make clear their wishes and goals for end-of-life care and communicate that information to their clinicians as well as their families. Advance care plans also typically include the […]
Data on the availability of community-based palliative care services is limited, but new numbers from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) show that at least half of the in-home providers of those services in the United States are hospices. CAPC recently completed a three-year project to quantify the prevalence of community-based palliative care providers […]