The Integration of Palliative and Hospice Care with Complex Medical Conditions

Our ability to care for patients who have one or more chronic illnesses has improved remarkably over the last century; however, significant challenges remain when it comes to meeting the needs of patients who are faced with the physical and psychological progression of one or more complex medical conditions that could potentially lead to death. There is a compelling need for a system-change approach for healthcare providers (HCPs) to employ skills not traditionally taught in the academic environment to meet the needs of this patient population. The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life through a comprehensive team approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to patients with serious illness. Hospice is a specific type of palliative care for those who likely have 6 months or less to live. This activity will review the challenges HCPs are confronted with when caring for seriously ill and dying patients and will explore how to integrate and coordinate palliative and hospice care in the healthcare delivery system.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to

  1. Summarize the challenges HCPs are confronted with when treating patients suffering from complex medical conditions
  2. Demonstrate strategies and frameworks that integrate palliative and hospice care when caring for seriously ill and dying patients
  3. Describe the impact on the patient, family members, and caregivers when patients with complex conditions are integrated into palliative or hospice care services

Faculty Listing
R. Sean Morrison, MD
Co-Director, Patty and Jay Baker National Palliative Care Center
Director, National Palliative Care Research Center
Director, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute
Hermann Merkin Professor of Palliative Care
Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, New York

Disclosures of Relevant Financial Relationships
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial SupportSM, OptumHealth Education requires all those involved in the development of activity content to disclose their relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if such person (or their spouse/partner) has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the activity content over which the individual has control.
OptumHealth Education ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Faculty Disclosure
R. Sean Morrison, MD has indicated that he has no relevant financial relationships.

Activity Planners
Sarah Chart-Hart, RN
Senior Director
OptumHealth Education

Arlene Rome, RN, BSN
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

Activity Planner Disclosures
All of the planners reported that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.

Reviewer Disclosures
To ensure fair balance and avoid bias, the content for this activity has been reviewed by an independent medical expert with no relevant financial relationships.

Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity.
For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

  • Completing the entire activity
  • Completing the Pre- and Post-Activity Assessments, Activity Evaluation, and Application for Certificate of Credit forms

You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking “Begin” and viewing the “CE Info”; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save, or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found under “My Account”, “My Activities.”

Method for Calculating CE Credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.

Provided By
This activity is provided by OptumHealth Education.

Commercial Support
This activity is supported by Optum™ Palliative and Hospice Care, formerly Evercare™ Hospice & Palliative Care.

Hardware/Software Requirements
To view this activity you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+, or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable your pop-up blocking software prior to the beginning of this activity.

Target Audience

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, case managers, social workers, chaplains, and others who have an interest in topics relevant to palliative and hospice care .

Activity summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
  • 1.00 CCMC - General - Case Managers
  • 1.00 ASWB - Social Workers
Activity opens: 
09/30/2014
Activity expires: 
09/24/2016
Rating: 
0

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
  • 1.00 CCMC - General - Case Managers
  • 1.00 ASWB - Social Workers
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