Hospice and Palliative Care in the Health Care Continuum

Course overview

Nearly 50% of Medicare beneficiaries opted for hospice care in 2017, but there are still gaps in care at the end of life. The 2015 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life noted that many individuals do not think about expressing their preferences for care at the end of life. The US health care system is directed toward curative care and is not well integrated with palliative and hospice care. The IOM report established that improving the health care continuum could improve quality of life for patients, decrease medical futility, and improve the experience of patients and families. This course provides an outline of how hospice and palliative care fit into the current US health care continuum and how increased utilization of such specialized services can reduce health care costs while improving quality of life for patients and their families/caregivers.