Minimizing Suffering With Palliative and Supportive Care

Contributing experts: Amy Lung, and William Logan, MD

Palliative medicine is often thought of as end-of-life care, but it's actually a medical specialty dedicated to relieving suffering at any time during an illness. Carelon Health Palliative Care is a physician-led team of care providers who deliver care in patients' homes. Our interdisciplinary teams work together to mitigate the suffering of patients and their caregivers and family. By providing personalized care to patients between visits with their primary care and specialist providers, Carelon Health Palliative Care improves their whole health.

Our palliative care teams, led by physicians, can diagnose and prescribe medication and provide patients with the additional care they need. Working alongside patients’ existing care providers, the team addresses physical, emotional, and social needs, while collaborating with their caregivers and family to coordinate care. Primary care and other specialty providers in the patients’ care team can focus on the patients’ illnesses, knowing their whole-health needs are being addressed by the palliative care team. This supports better patient experiences and outcomes, as well as lower overall costs.

Inside the Palliative Medicine Model

Carelon Health’s palliative care team is one of the nation's largest community-based, non-hospice, care provider-led palliative care organizations.¹ Our physician-led interdisciplinary teams are licensed in all 50 states and care for patients across all lines of business.

200,000 patients cared for since 2013²

56% reduction in hospital admissions for Medicare Advantage members receiving end-of-life care²

29,000+ calls fielded in 2023 — with less than 2% requiring a hospital referral²

Each Palliative Care team consists of doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and social workers. They work together to provide wraparound services for people between doctor visits, acting as trusted health advisors and providing care in the home through both in-person and telehealth services. Our service includes a 24/7 care provider-staffed call line, which allows patients and families to reach out whenever they have questions or concerns.

We begin with a 75-minute palliative and supportive care assessment with the patient and family, during which we visit them at home and assess their concerns, fears, and health-related social needs. Individual care goals informed by any fears they may have drive the overall plan of care. That information is always available to our 24/7 care team members, so they are always prepared to help patients with their specific needs. By addressing patients’ concerns in real time, the patient and family are able to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.

In addition to helping patients, our palliative care team supports their family members and caregivers, and encourages proactive advanced planning discussions for smoother transitions to hospice and treatment that aligns with patients’ wishes.

Watch this video to hear from one patient about the difference that palliative care made for not only her, but her husband as she faced a life-altering diagnosis.

Voiceover:

Palliative care from Carelon provides an enhanced level of personalized and compassionate support to help ease the difficulties of living with a serious illness.

Erin:

I was first diagnosed with aplastic anemia in January of '23. Later — six months or five months later — I was diagnosed with ovarian, stage three ovarian cancer. Initially, I didn't know what palliative care was, but I also didn't want to spend a lot of time in the hospital, and I didn't know that with my diagnosis what the future would hold.

Jenni Bolton:

Palliative care is care that allows me, as a provider, to come into a patient's home and really get to know the patient, build a relationship with them, and make sure that the care that they're receiving from their providers and specialists is aligned with the goals that they have in mind for their care.

Erin:

My first visit with Jenni, I was pleased ‘cause she just was real comfortable. It wasn't just a nurse coming like me; it was somebody that knew a lot more than me, and I was impressed with that.

Jenni Bolton:

In the beginning of my care with Erin, she had just recently received her diagnosis of cancer. So, there were a lot of emotions going through, just handling her diagnosis and digesting just that information. At the end of each of my visits, my notes get sent over to each of her providers to keep them all informed. So, a lot of what I'm doing is just sharing of information with these providers specifically and making sure everyone's on the same page and aligned in the care that Erin is receiving. During a recent visit with Erin, she had expressed that she was feeling some anxiety, and a lot of worry about her treatment path and the decisions that were being presented to her. And so, I really encouraged her to allow me to collaborate with our social worker and have them get involved to help support her and her mental health through these decisions.

Dale:

What I appreciated most is that I started realizing palliative care was for me also. I felt included, so I was part of the team.

Jenni Bolton:

By building trusting relationships with our patients, it makes them more comfortable and more apt to call in when they do have a need. The care we provide, we can provide through a 24-hour urgent care line if they're having a concern or a symptom that we think may require medical management. We can treat them with medications. We can provide medical management with things that they have in the home, with the overarching goal of keeping them out of urgent care and out of the hospital.

Erin:

To see people that are going through some similar things, and I, you know, I would recommend people to look into palliative care, to look into places like Carelon to take advantage of opportunities that are there for support.

Voiceover:

For more information about Carelon, please visit us online. To schedule your first appointment, give us a call.

Adding Value Through Integration

Our modernized clinical model adds value and efficiency by connecting all the pieces and players that contribute to a person’s overall health. By holistically addressing patients’ needs and working with care providers collectively and cohesively, we can care for patients in the setting that they and their doctors decide best meets their needs and goals. Not only does this lead to higher patient satisfaction and better outcomes, but it also leads to lower overall healthcare costs.³

Palliative Care Associated With Fewer Avoidable Hospital Admissions Across Patient Populations

These results are advantageous for many reasons, including the healthcare industry’s continued shift toward value-based care.

Minimizing Suffering With Palliative and Supportive Care

Inside the Palliative Medicine Model

Adding Value Through Integration

Palliative Care Associated With Fewer Avoidable Hospital Admissions Across Patient Populations

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