Increase Penetration of Appropriate Palliative Care Consultation in a Health System

This project addresses the health care system's strategic initiative to ensure interdisciplinary palliative care teams deliver sustainable, high-quality services within their health ministries. The palliative care teams' goal was to increase palliative care consults by 10 percent. To do so, they employed strategies and tools used in their health system, specifically, care and communication bundles known as IPAL-ICU and IPAL-ED, as well as a screening tool to identify patients who would benefit from palliative care services. Consultations from 2014 to 2015 increased from 1093 to 1440, a more than 20 percent increase.

This case study is part of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association's annual Quality Excellence Achievement Awards. Each year, IHA recognizes and celebrates the achievements of Illinois hospitals and health systems in continually improving and transforming health care in the state. These organizations are improving health by striving to achieve the Triple Aim—improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care—and the Institute of Medicine's six aims for improvement—safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. To learn more, visit https://www.ihaqualityawards.org/javascript-ui/IHAQualityAward/