Proudly Offering
Palliative Care
Palliative Care at Evergreen Family Medicine
WE ARE OFFERING A NEW SERVICE
Palliative Care
Our nurses are here to help you manage your care
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care is health care for people who live with chronic illnesses, which creates distressing symptoms that diminish quality of life. Accepting what cannot be cured, Palliative Care’s focus is on providing relief from the disturbing symptoms and stress arising from chronic illnesses, aging, and lack of a supportive home environment.
Palliative Care is based on an individual’s needs, not their prognosis. While numerous studies have shown this intervention may extend life, this is not the goal. Palliative Care is not the same as hospice, and it can be provided alongside active medical treatment. However, the primary focus is on maximizing the patient’s quality of life by addressing comfort and avoiding unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
Palliative Care can reduce preventable crisis care by identifying and addressing reversible contributors to symptoms, and then focusing on managing the symptoms and stress associated with chronic illness.
The Case for Palliative Care:
At least 12 million adults in the United States are living with serious illness. This includes metastatic cancer, advanced dementia, heart or kidney failure, severe COPD, and other chronic diseases often associated with advanced age. This group is disproportionately users of 911 calls, recurring emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and skilled nursing facility admissions.
Dying is expensive in America. Medicare expenditures for those in the last year of life are almost six times that of spending for other beneficiaries. Yet despite high utilization of crisis care and spending, this population often receives low-value, even distressing, services from our healthcare system.
Providers who may be inhibited from prescribing opiates, sleeping medication, or other controlled medications designed for comfort, based on concerns of liability or the Oregon Medical Board sanctions, have greater latitude within this designation, where providing for comfort and symptom management has the highest priority. Patient dignity is promoted by providing care within the home environment whenever possible.
Palliative Care begins with the belief that we can do better with less by focusing on what matters most to the patient and family. It starts with providers and patients being honest about their expectations.
Who qualifies for Palliative Care at EFM?
Any patient with a serious condition causing chronic symptoms who wishes their primary focus of care to address symptoms or conditions that distract from quality of life.
Patients must agree they do not want to be placed on life support. A signed POLST must confirm that decision
How is a Palliative Care Patient Treated Differently?
Palliative Care patients will sign an acknowledgement of their choice to value comfort, dignity, less expense, and care at home over a maximum focus of prolonging life.
The intention is to provide care in the lowest cost, most convenient setting, which most often is your own home.
Community health workers will help to align community resources or financial aid as necessary to support care in the home.
Care of your chronic conditions continues as before under your usual provider.
Mental health and grief counseling are made available if needed and desired.
Palliative care patients are prioritized at all levels within EFM to address urgent needs and avoid hospital visits. This includes after-hours care.
A palliative care nurse will maintain contact between visits and facilitate access to your providers to address unmet needs.
Early medical intervention, including antibiotics, support with durable medical equipment such as oxygen or updraft nebulizers, IV fluids, wound care, and coordination of resources, helps to avoid hospitalization.
Palliative Care patients will be given a phone number to contact clinic staff or a provider both during office hours and after hours.
Your provider has greater liberty to provide certain medications and interventions to address comfort if needed and desired.
Please discuss Palliative Care with your Evergreen provider for more information.
To schedule an appointment call
541-677-7200
