Standardized criteria for required palliative care consultation on the solid tumor oncology service.

Authors

null

Kerin Adelson

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

Kerin Adelson, Julia Paris, Cardinale B. Smith, Jay Horton, R. Sean Morrison

Organizations

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

Research Funding

Other

Background: Studies have shown that routine integration of Palliative Care (PC) for patients with advanced cancer is associated with improved symptom control, clearer understanding of prognosis, lower utilization of health care resources, and increased hospice use. The 2012 ASCO guidelines call for incorporation of PC for any patient with metastatic cancer and/or high symptom burden. Despite a top-rated PC division at Mount Sinai, our Solid Tumor (ST) Division utilized PC and hospice less than other medical centers. Our inpatient ST service consistently demonstrated poor quality metrics. Our 2011-2012 UHC statistics were: mortality index, 1.35 (target <1), 30-day readmission rate, 21.7%, (target < 10.3%) and length of stay (LOS) index, 1.23 (target <1). We hypothesized that implementing standardized criteria for PC consultation would improve these metrics. Methods: During this 3-month pilot, criteria for PC consultation included patients with one or more of the following: stage IV disease, Stage III lung or pancreatic cancer, hospitalization within prior 30 days, >7 day hospitalization, uncontrolled symptoms (pain, nausea, dyspnea, delirium, distress). We looked at two baseline groups for comparison: 1) patients who met eligibility in a six week period prior to the intervention 2) For UHC index data, we used the hospital dashboard average over a 1-year period prior to the intervention. This included all ST patients who were eligible for the intervention (60%) and those who were not (40%). Primary outcomes were: hospice utilization, ST mortality index, 30-day readmission rate and LOS. Results: Comparing Group 1 to the Pilot Group, palliative care consultation doubled from 41% to 82%, 30-day readmission decreased from 36% to 17% (p= .022), and hospice utilization increased from 14% to 25% (p=.146). UHC data (Group 2 vs. Pilot) showed: mortality index improved (1.35 to .59) and 30-day readmission rates decreased (21.7% to 13.5%, p=.026). LOS was unchanged (1.23 to 1.25). Conclusions: Mandating palliative care consults for patients at the highest risk for in hospital death and readmission improved hospice utilization, 30-day readmission, oncology service mortality and adherence with ASCO guidelines.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2013 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

General Poster Session A: Science of Quality

Track

Science of Quality,Health Reform: Implications for Costs and Quality ,Practice of Quality

Sub Track

Quality Improvement

Citation

J Clin Oncol 31, 2013 (suppl 31; abstr 37)

Abstract #

37

Poster Bd #

B13

Abstract Disclosures

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