By Kristin Paulson, JD, MPH, CIVHC’s VP of Research and Innovation
Palliative Care has been a hot button topic lately, popping up in legislation, in the news, and, if you’re one of the more than 30 million family caregivers in the US, even the dinner table. From the beginning, CIVHC has been a staunch supporter of palliative care, believing that it’s a straightforward mechanism for improving the health of our population, increasing access to high-quality care that respects patient and family values, and reducing to costs of care to families and to the system. In essence, we feel it’s a slam dunk for improving care for everyone.
Over the last year, CIVHC developed a partnership with the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), based in Washington, D.C. C-TAC believes that all Americans with advanced illness, especially the sickest and most vulnerable, should receive comprehensive, high-quality, person- and family-centered care that is consistent with their goals and values and honors their dignity.
C-TAC was on the front lines of last year’s Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA), a bill that would make palliative care and hospice training part of the Public Health Service Act and require ongoing support from Health and Human Services for education programs to train physicians who plan to practice palliative medicine. It also would mandate a national education campaign to inform patients and families about the benefits of palliative care and expands research opportunities to increase the evidence base behind palliative care. This bill is, potentially, an enormous step forward and is the result of extensive work by organizations like C-TAC.
C-TAC is also working closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on reimbursement models for palliative care and is building a multi-stakeholder Advance Care Measure Index that will allow for meaningful and consistent measurement of quality care across the care continuum.
On June 28th, C-TAC and CIVHC will be co-hosting an Advanced Illness Care Policy briefing to update advocates on the latest policy developments in Washington and around the country that affect this vulnerable population. The discussion will include a national perspective, a discussion on what is happening in Colorado and in other states, and how you can support this movement. We will be hosting national and state leaders to highlight these issues and have a discussion on the role we all can play in supporting people living with advanced illness and their families. Limited space is available for this event. Please register here and join us!
Thanks to partners like C-TAC, CIVHC will be able to support improved care that respects the values of patients and families, while decreasing costs and improving quality of life. We are excited about future opportunities to work with C-TAC, including their upcoming National Summit, hosted here in Colorado for the very first time https://www.thectac.org/.
If you are interested in getting involved with CIVHC’s work in palliative care, please reach out to Sharon Adams at SAdams@civhc.org