Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Integrating Population Health Principles into Practice

Abstract

The field of palliative care (PC) has spent the past decade demonstrating that it improves outcomes for patients, clinicians, and health systems. Forward-thinking organizations preparing for a reimbursement system rooted in value have built robust inpatient PC programs and are rapidly moving toward the outpatient and community settings as well. As PC programs get larger and are increasingly tasked with leading a wide variety of diverse initiatives, population health principles can help to focus programs on high-value activities. This article, written by population health researchers and PC clinicians, seeks to provide PC teams nationally with a variety of population health strategies and tools to guide PC delivery throughout the health system and beyond.

Referral Patterns of Outpatient Palliative Care among the Head and Neck Cancer Population

“…Primary providers are often better positioned to understand the biopsychosocial challenges their patients face from prior continuity of care. The palliative care specialty workforce cannot yet meet the needs of all patients with HNC, 26 74 which is why primary providers should train in palliative care and effective communication skills 75 76 77 to offer them as an adjunct to the meaningful services they already provide. As clinicians are often pressed for time, these efforts must be supported with health care system restructuring to allow adequate time for these conversations to take place.…”

“… 3 23 However, lack of investment, awareness, and understanding of palliative care services among patients, caregivers, and health care workers are among the barriers to its early implementation at a population-health level. 24 25 26 27 While these services can be provided by various health care workers, the timing and indications for referral to specialty palliative care are still poorly understood. 26 27 The present study aimed to determine the referral patterns of outpatient palliative care services and how they affect various outcomes among patients with HNC in our affiliated hospital systems.…”

“… 24 25 26 27 While these services can be provided by various health care workers, the timing and indications for referral to specialty palliative care are still poorly understood. 26 27 The present study aimed to determine the referral patterns of outpatient palliative care services and how they affect various outcomes among patients with HNC in our affiliated hospital systems.…”