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Updated January 6, 2005
The Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan is creating a seamless set of services for patients with terminal illnesses. The system's hospitals, hospice, home-health care, nursing home and social work programs, including more than 1,000 doctors and 3,000 nurses, work together to improve end-of-life care.
Senior Plus, Henry Ford Health System's Medicare managed care program, offers the plan to patients who are living with life-limiting illnesses. New services include in-depth education in self care and decision-making for patients, families and caregivers; system-wide computer-based communication of patient health care preferences; and a flexible array of supportive services called, "Enhancing Communication for Improved End-of-Life Care."
Patients who are diagnosed with progressive, ultimately terminal conditions explore options for end-of-life care with their families via personal counseling and the use of an innovative, interactive CD-ROM. In addition, Henry Ford Health Systems clinicians receive in-depth training regarding when to implement and how to discuss palliative care with patients and families.
"Decide for Yourself" blends curative and palliative care in the combination that is most beneficial for the patient. Once a patient and family agree on a set of preferences for care, their choices are stored on a system-wide computer, helping ensure that those preferences are honored regardless of where in the vast Henry Ford system the patient receives care during the course of illness.
Under the guidance of principal investigator Leslie Bricker, MD, director of the Hospice of Henry Ford Health System, this program demonstrates how a leading health system can introduce a new way of offering care. The project includes an evaluation component to study the types of care patients choose, the system's success in adhering to patient preferences, the impact of this approach on the overall costs of care and improvements in provider practices as knowledge of palliative care increases.
Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care is a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation dedicated to long-term changes in health care institutions to substantially improve care for dying people and their families. Visit PromotingExcellence.org for more resources.
