Palliative Care Consultation Service Debuts

Cottage Health System inaugurated its new Palliative Care Consultation Service (PCCS) . This important new program has been developed as a direct result of recommendations made by physicians on the Medical Advisory Panel in November 2003.

What is palliative care? It is specialized care that helps patients who are living with serious illness. The Palliative Care Consultation Service treats pain, manages difficult symptoms, and provides spiritual and emotional support to patients and their families. The PCCS can also help patients identify what is most important to them and their families and help communicate these wishes to the healthcare team.

Palliative care differs from hospice care in that it can be started early in the course of illness and is provided at the same time as other treatments a patient is receiving.

Who is on the Palliative Care Consultation Team?
• Dennis Baker, MD, medical director
• Mike Bordofsky, MD, medical director
• Michael Kearney, MD, physician
• Debra Rodgers, RN, nurse coordinator
• Tiffinny Drake, NP, nurse practitioner
• Tianna Swede, MSW, social worker
• Janet Furman, CSJ, chaplain

How does the Palliative Care Consultation Service work? Anyone involved with a patient’s care can ask the primary physician for a palliative care referral. This includes the patient, family members, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, case managers, and others. The service is also available to support nurses with information, coaching, and help assessing the need for palliative care.

Once the primary physician has given the order for palliative care and it has been entered in HIS or CPOE, members of the team will begin meeting with the patient and the patient’s family, as well as with the patient’s physicians and nurses to determine how we can help. The team will make recommendations to the primary physician regarding pain and symptom management.

Team members will spend time with the patient and family, providing emotional and spiritual support. Finally, the team will work with the patient’s case manager regarding discharge planning needs.

The service is also available to support nurses with information, coaching, and help assessing the need for palliative care.

- end -