Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA
Andrew Esch is a palliative care specialist focusing on improving the quality of life for patients and families living with serious illness. He earned his medical degree from the University of Buffalo, where he also earned a combined bachelor of science and master of business administration degree. Before becoming the Senior Education Advisor at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), Dr. Esch was a CAPC consultant and faculty member. Prior to joining CAPC, Dr. Esch was medical director of palliative care at the Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Florida. During his time there he was recognized with the prestigious Phoenix Award for his work with people living with cancer. Dr. Esch speaks nationally on palliative care education and growth and sustainability of palliative care programs.
Upcoming Events
Virtual Office Hours
Pediatric Palliative Care
Virtual Office Hours
Coaching for Emerging Leaders
From the Blog
Key 2024 Palliative Care Billing Updates Every Provider Should Know
An overview of changes to the 2024 CMS physician fee schedule that impact palliative care billing and coding.
How to Identify and Treat Fatigue in Our Patients with Serious Illness
Two palliative care clinicians provide the ins-and-outs of assessing and treating fatigue in patients with serious illness.
How We Can Leverage Our Emotions to Create Positive Change for Palliative Care
A palliative care leader, who has supported hundreds of clinicians throughout the pandemic, offers healthy tips for channeling our feelings to move the field forward.
Courses
Course 1 of 14
Conducting a comprehensive pain assessment to guide safe and effective treatment.
Course 2 of 14
Selecting a safe and appropriate analgesic for patients with serious illness based on the pain assessment.
Course 3 of 14
Patient and family factors that influence prescribing decisions for patients with serious illness.
Course 4 of 14
Integrating routine risk assessment for substance use disorder when considering or using opioid therapy.
Course 5 of 14
Designing a safe and effective opioid trial for the patient with serious illness.
Course 6 of 14
Safe and appropriate opioid prescribing for the opioid-naive patient with serious illness.
Course 7 of 14
Four indications for using short-acting opioids.
Course 8 of 14
Ongoing evaluation of opioid benefits, risks, and side effects for the patient with serious illness.
Course 9 of 14
Guidance on safe conversion to long-acting opioids for patients with serious illness.
Course 10 of 14
Prescribing practice for long half-life opioids, converting from one opioid to another, and accounting for incomplete cross-tolerance.
Course 11 of 14
Changing the route of opioid delivery, rotating opioids, advanced opioid conversions, and tapering opioids.
Course 12 of 14
Safe opioid prescribing in older adults, cognitively impaired patients, children, and the imminently dying, including patient-controlled analgesia.
Course 13 of 14
Pain management for patients with serious illness and high risk for substance use disorder, including risk assessment, monitoring, and when to refer for safe pain management.
Course 14 of 14
Safe opioid prescribing for patients with serious illness, using the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Guidelines for the Chronic Use of Opioid Analgesics.
Take this online course to learn evidence-based strategies to identify and treat anxiety in patients with a serious illness.
Constipation occurs in at least 70% of patients living with a serious illness and often goes unrecognized. Take this online course to learn critical skills to identify and manage the impact of constipation.
This online course teaches how to accurately identify and treat depression in patients living with a serious illness.
Take this online course to learn how to manage dyspnea, including the physical causes of shortness of breath and the emotional impact on the patient.
Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms of serious illness, and can cause dangerous complications. Take this online course to learn practical skills to identify, manage, and reduce these symptoms.
Online course for identifying and addressing the sources of suffering for patients and families living with dementia.
This course provides context and best practices for identifying older adults at risk for poor outcomes, including falls, delirium, and caregiving challenges.
Course 1 of 4
Clinical training on the biological basis of chronic pain, building patient trust, and non-pharmacological and non-opioid treatments for managing chronic pain in patients with serious illness.
Course 2 of 4
Clinical training on prescribing an opioid trial for the management of a seriously ill patient's chronic pain.
Course 3 of 4
Clinical training course on universal precautions to identify and assess opioid misuse, and prevent opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with serious illness.
Course 4 of 4
Clinical training course for identifying and managing opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with serious illness, and treating pain in seriously ill patients with OUD.
The role of the direct care worker in observing and reporting suffering in patients with serious illness.
Strategic planning for new or veteran programs, and a framework for identification of barriers to team efficiency and team health.
