Pediatric palliative care and hospice program development in 2016: Strategies for success in an ever-expanding world

Abstract

Objectives * Propose pediatric program design or expansion based on newly acquired skills of defining a desirable and functional scope that aligns with health system’s missions and values and identifies areas of potential growth and collaboration within the health system. * Discuss the creation of a formal business plan for development of a pediatric palliative care program to present to senior hospital leadership that effectively highlights the benefits and challenges of a billing revenue only strategy and thus a need for operating dollars and philanthropic support as a comprehensive business plan strategy. * Develop a strategy for their community to implement PC with limited resources and increase buy in from stakeholders. As with adult palliative care, pediatric palliative care is experiencing rapid growth. Like adult palliative care, pediatric palliative care practitioners also need to design and sustain programs that respond to their own institutional needs and values, that show value added through metrics and quality improvement research, that acknowledge the national palliative care staffing shortage, that address the growing need for outpatient resources in all communities, and that have strategies embedded to prevent staff burnout. Distinct from adult palliative care is pediatrics’ need for greater philanthropic and operational dollar support as pediatric palliative care has not had the patient volume to show the reduced cost savings strategy that drives many adult palliative care budget plans. This workshop will present strategies for preliminary pediatric program planning and budgeting that address these needs through the presentation of five distinct pediatric palliative care programs. Education will be heavily driven through case presentations that contrast resource-rich versus resource limited environments, newer programs versus more established programs, and inpatient versus outpatient arenas. After providing this platform, the workshop will utilize these experts to assist in small group discussions that focus on participants’ unique program needs and questions.