Center to Advance Palliative Care

I'm not familiar with a "C.H.P.S" program in New England. One of the things we have learned is that physicians want to be led by physicians. If you were able to find a physician champion then perhaps they could help you move the agenda forward, even if they aren't the one who would be the palliative doc. You may even consider seeing if there is a local hospice program that would be interested in co-oping to start a program or share physician hours. My guess is that you will need to see where you can get your department head or VP to budge and then build momentum and buy in.

I recommend the following article published last fall which has sound numbers to reflect the financial benefit of palliative care: "Cost Savings Associated With US Hospital Palliative
Care Consultation Programs," R. Sean Morrison, MD; Joan D. Penrod, PhD; J. Brian Cassel, PhD; Melissa Caust-Ellenbogen, MS; Ann Litke, MFA; Lynn Spragens, MBA; Diane E. Meier, MD; for the Palliative Care Leadership Centers’ Outcomes Group; Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(16):1783-1790.

Now that Palliative Physicians will be recognized as a specialty in October by Medicare, I think the field will also gain some clout and increasing representation at the table. You may also want to tap into the case management department to determine where your cost outliers are as well as the DRG's that are the top ten admissions to your facility. Patients with frequent admissions and ED visits are also attention getters. I hope you are able to move forward soon. There is tremendous potential for the impact you can have with a
complete IDT.

Sharol Herr, RN, MSEd, CHPN
Nurse Clinician and Education Coordinator
Mount Carmel Health Palliative Care Leadership Center
Columbus, Ohio