Perspectives on Telehealth for Hospice and Palliative Care: Where It Adds Value (ODS6)

ABSTRACT

Outcomes 1. Describe the areas of confusion and concern about using telehealth for hospice and palliative care 2. Explain components related to telehealth (eg, video, internet, and device accessibility) that relate to better satisfaction with telehealth 3. Discuss opportunities for telehealth to enhance care for seriously ill patients receiving hospice and palliative care Telehealth has been expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver essential care to sick patients, including older adult hospice and palliative care patients. Hospice and palliative care industry leaders and bipartisan groups of politicians call for increasing Medicare coverage of telehealth services to make permanent the reduced restrictions on virtual services during the pandemic. In follow-up to their recent national studies focused on racial and ethnic equity in hospice care, this public health and economics research team presents the reality of telehealth during the pandemic and the confusion and concern going forward for hospice leaders and informal caregivers of seriously ill patients. They will highlight the challenges and opportunities of delivering quality hospice and palliative care by using telehealth to traditionally underserved groups. The session will present findings from the authors’ 2021 survey of 600 informal caregivers and interviews with 25 hospice executives across the United States about telehealth for hospice care. As one interviewee put it, “It's really hard to put the horse back in the barn at this point”;telehealth is not going away. This session will help clinicians gain awareness and understanding of their peers and other stakeholders’ perspectives on experiencing telehealth in hospice care.