Standardization and Scaling of a Community-Based Palliative Care Model.

BACKGROUND: Although limited, the descriptions of Community-Based Palliative Care (CBPC) demonstrates variability in team structures, eligibility, and standardization across care settings. OBJECTIVE: In 2014, Four Seasons Compassion for Life, a nonprofit hospice and palliative care (PC) organization in Western North Carolina (WNC), was awarded a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Health Care Innovation (CMMI) Award to expand upon their existing innovative model to implement, evaluate, and demonstrate CBPC in the United States. The objective of this article is to describe the processes and challenges of scaling and standardizing the CBPC model. DESIGN: Four Season's CBPC model serves patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings using an interdisciplinary team to address symptom management, psychosocial/spiritual care, advance care planning, and patient/family education. Medicare beneficiaries who are ≥65 years of age with a life-limiting illness were eligible for the CMMI project. RESULTS: The CBPC model was scaled across numerous counties in WNC and Upstate South Carolina. Over the first two years of the project, scaling occurred into 21 counties with the addition of 2 large hospitals, 52 nursing facilities, and 2 new clinics. To improve efficiency and effectiveness, a PC screening referral guide and a risk stratification approach were developed and implemented. Care processes, including patient referral and initial visit, were mapped. CONCLUSION: This article describes an interdisciplinary CBPC model in all care settings to individuals with life-limiting illness and offers guidance for risk stratification assessments and mapping care processes that may help PC programs as they develop and work to improve efficiencies.

Tracking Patients in Community-Based Palliative Care through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Healthcare Innovation Project.

BACKGROUND: Although limited, the evidence base for Community-Based Palliative Care (CBPC) has shown that it improves patient health outcomes, increases satisfaction, and decreases cost. Minimal data exist comparing points of entry into palliative care and patient transition outcomes. OBJECTIVES: In 2014, Four Seasons Compassion for Life was awarded a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Healthcare Innovation Award to expand an existing CBPC model into additional counties and to propose a new payment approach. The goal of this article is to evaluate the tracking of point of entry into palliative care and patient transition outcomes in the model. DESIGN: All participant transition outcomes are tracked from point of entry, including large and small hospitals, nursing facilities, and home/clinic. Evaluation of tracking data was conducted over the first two years of the project (September 1, 2014-September 1, 2016). RESULTS: A total of 2482 patients entered the project, 905 through smaller hospitals (<300 beds, 32%), 474 through larger hospital systems (>500 beds, 17%), 823 from nursing facilities (29%), and 640 in the home/clinic (22%). Hospice transition was highest with home/clinic referrals, followed by nursing facilities, smaller hospitals, and larger hospitals. Palliative care deaths and discharges are higher in larger hospitals. Re-enrollment back into palliative care after previous discharge occurred in 177 (17.8%) of discharged patients. CONCLUSION: CBPC leads to the highest percentage of hospice transitions coming from the home/clinic setting. Differences between small and large hospitals demonstrate a different patient population with higher transitions to hospice and lower palliative care deaths in smaller hospitals.