Connecting the Dots: Using the Impact Calculator Tools to Plan for Growth

The Impact Calculator and related tools offer simple ways to measure an inpatient palliative care team’s appropriate matching of staffing to patient volume and expected cost savings over time. This webinar will provide an overview of measures palliative care programs should monitor and use to guide planning and growth, including 1) Percentage of total hospital admissions; 2) Team composition; 3) Patient mix; 4) Timeliness and reliability; and 5) Part B billing results. Participants will be able to better identify current strengths and plan for growth aligned with organizational needs. Key drivers of cost savings that result from high-quality palliative care will be identified, through a brief review of relevant studies.

As inpatient programs have grown, their role, patient mix, and impact have also evolved. Understanding these patterns supports planning for targeted growth. Similarly, as teams grow from minimum initial staff to more complete interdisciplinary teams with reliable coverage, the costs per patient changes. This session will introduce simple approaches to measuring these trends using your own data.

Demonstrating value that justifies additional investment requires illustrating where you have been, where you are now, and what can be accomplished with appropriate growth. This webinar will provide tools and perspective to improve your leadership capabilities to do this well.