Exemplar Late-Life Communities Five Years Later - The Role of the HPM Physician

In previous posts, we've featured interviews with physicians currently practicing Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) in exemplar late-life communities, as identified by DAI Palliative Care Group in its study of end-of-life care data from the Dartmouth Medical Atlas. We're also followers of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and have followed closely IHI's identification of regions where high-value (low cost, high-quality) medical care is provided. One of our present studies is taking a closer look at the role of the HPM physician today in those communities identified both as exemplar late-life regions AND high-value medical care regions.

For more background on this issue, have a look at earlier posts for the regions of Grand Rapids,
Asheville, and Grand Junction. And for a look at exemplar late-life care hospitals, read here. More will follow in future posts. And, of course, your comments are invited.