Premier’s Palliative Care Initiative
Premier’s palliative care initiative is a proactive approach to determining and understanding the individual needs of each patient and setting clear goals and expectations regarding current care and care associated with end of life.
Since everyone ages in their own unique way, it is important that the interdisciplinary team of professionals providing care in skilled-nursing, long-term care, and assisted-living settings understand and execute the care goals of the resident and their family. This is particularly essential as residents reach what are expected to be the last years of life. Research indicates that residents and families are more likely to get the care they want if conversations about medical treatment occur, and a plan is put in place. It is important that these “advanced care plans” get updated as each resident’s health or mental well-being changes. Premier clinicians will often perform Advanced Care Planning visits to specifically discuss and document the patient’s health care treatment decisions. With this proactive approach in patient care, the quality of life of each and every patient is improved.
Premier clinicians work closely with nursing center staff to facilitate these discussions. Topics that are often discussed include:
• Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders,
• Do Not Intubate (DNI) orders,
• Do Not Hospitalize (DNH) orders, and
• Physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST), and
• Medical orders for life-sustaining treatment (MOLST).
Premier benefits from the recent addition of Dr. Patrick Baroco, a regional palliative care medicine expert in the Staunton and Harrisonburg, VA regions. He shares that “Palliative Care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness or injury, but that are not necessarily dying. Unlike hospice care, residents receiving palliative care from Premier clinicians may receive medical care for their symptoms, along with treatment to actively treat or cure their serious illness. Key components of Premier’s palliative care include:
• Pain and other symptom management,
• Emotional and spiritual concerns, including those of family/caregivers,
• Coordination of care with other clinicians and nursing center associates, and
• Optimization of health and mental well-being.
This month, Premier’s palliative care expertise expanded when Dr. Neal Guffey, Jr. joined the practice to serve the residents of Premier partner communities in Western North Carolina. In addition to his palliative care practice experience, Dr. Guffey is a member of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine. He notes that “strong collaboration between residents, their families, community/facility staff, and the Premier care team is essential to understanding and meeting the goals of each patient. Additionally, while traditional pain management is an important component of palliative care, it can be enhanced by therapeutic benefits of innovative care services including music therapy, activity therapy, and pet therapy.”
Dr. Bradley Goad, Premier’s founder and CEO, believes that Premier’s patient-centered team approach to patient care allows patients to experience the later stages of life in a dignified and comfortable manner with clarity on goals and expectations of care. “I consider it a very special compliment when the loved ones of a resident that has passed share appreciation for the way their Premier clinician attended to their end of life needs with compassion and commitment. This is truly a meaningful confirmation that Premier clinicians are committed to take the extra step to provide outstanding compassionate care to our patients and their families.”
To learn more about Premier, please visit our website at www.PremierGeriatric.com.
