Institute for the Advancement of Health Care Management

Palliative Care and the Hospital - Hospice Relationship

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

The cost for this program is $15.

Friends of the Institute attend at no cost.

There is an increasing demand for health care services that provide relief of suffering and improvement in the quality of life for patients with advanced illness and for their families.  One response to this challenge is the exponential growth in the number of hospital-based palliative care programs and of hospices in this country.  Between 2000 and 2007, the number of hospital-based palliative care programs grew from 600 to 1,368; during those same years, the number of Medicare-certified hospice programs grew from 3,100 to 4,700. 

Hospice and palliative care rest on a common philosophy and share similar expectations for professional preparation and specialist board certification for physicians, for advance practice nurses, for nurses and for social workers.  These two provider communities share a common problem – neither is well-understood by other providers nor by consumers.  There are also important distinctions between the two entities.  Under the best of circumstances, collaboration between them contributes to an effective continuum of interdisciplinary patient care services needed by some of our sickest and most vulnerable patients.     

During this interactive session, palliative and hospice care will be defined and program models will be described.  Topics will include:

• Who are the patients and families that benefit from these services?
• How are these services reimbursed?
• How can hospitals and hospices collaborate effectively to provide palliative care in the inpatient setting?
• How can hospitals and hospices create a continuum of care that includes and extends beyond the boundaries of the hospital setting?
• What are the financial incentives for hospital participation?
• What are some of the challenges in developing hospital-based palliative care programs?

Speakers:

George J. Giokas, MD 
CapitalCare Internal Medicine
Regional Medical Director, The Community Hospice

Lynda B. Cooper, LCSW 
Administrative Director Geriatric and Palliative Medicine
North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Amber B. Jones
Consultant, Center to Advance Palliative Care National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
The Hospice and Palliative Care Assn. of NYS

Kathy McMahon
President/CEO
Hospice and Palliative Care Assn. of NYS