In part two of a two-part conversation with California Healthline, Diane Meier — professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care — said she first was drawn to geriatrics and palliative medicine because the two subspecialties focus on whole-person care.
Meier noted that changing reimbursement models under the federal health reform law are creating a stronger business case for palliative care. According to Meier, successful accountable care organizations will need to control health care costs for the sickest 1% to 5% of patients, who typically are the same patients who could benefit most from palliative care (California Healthline, 8/1).
The complete transcript of this report is available as a PDF. The first part of the report is available online.