In April 2020, CHCF and the Coalition of Compassionate Care of California presented a series of three webinars on Driving Palliative Care Improvement in Medi-Cal (SB 1004). This multipart online event was in lieu of a planned statewide, in-person convening that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and covered the following topics:
- SB 1004 Palliative Care Implementation: Updates on Who Is Being Served and How: What did implementation of SB 1004 palliative care look like in year two? Based on survey responses from Medi-Cal managed care plans and contracted SB 1004 palliative care providers, this webinar focused on plan and provider organizational characteristics, the number of individuals referred and served, the care models used to deliver SB 1004 palliative care, as well as contracting and payment issues.
- SB 1004 Palliative Care Implementation: Looking Ahead: How are SB 1004 palliative care services likely to evolve? Based on survey responses from Medi-Cal managed care plans and contracted SB 1004 palliative care providers, this webinar focused on program sustainability, planned program enhancements for 2020, self-perceptions of strengths and challenges, as well as collaboration practices and opportunities.
- Examining Quality in SB 1004 Palliative Care: What can we learn about the SB 1004 palliative care recipients and services, and how can that inform efforts to assess and improve quality? Based on an analysis of data on over 1,000 SB 1004 palliative care patients from the Palliative Care Quality Network, this webinar described information about the characteristics of the SB 1004 palliative care population (such as age, primary diagnosis, symptom burden), processes of care (such as number of consultations, team members involved in consultations, which issues were identified and addressed), and treatment outcomes (such as changes in symptom scores, level of distress, and patient-reported quality of life).
From June 2017 through July 2018, CHCF hosted a series of webinars and workshops to help health plans and providers implement SB 1004 palliative care. The webinars focused on five topics:
- Estimate Volume and Baseline Costs: Learn how to estimate the number of members eligible for palliative care — an important step in implementation planning. Understand how eligible members are currently using health care resources, data that will be used in estimating and (eventually) assessing program impact and in targeting outreach and education efforts.
- Estimate Care Delivery Costs: Anticipate the costs of delivering care based on your clinical model, environment, and other variables. These data will help you build sustainable palliative care programs.
- Assess Capacity and Launch Services: Assess your readiness to deliver SB 1004 palliative care. Prepare to launch by determining the capacity of local providers to deliver palliative care services, developing strategies to fill identified gaps, and creating plans for patient referral and provider education.
- Gauge and Promote Success: Understand approaches to tracking and assessing quality measures, patient and family outcomes, and fiscal and utilization outcomes. Use these measures of success to improve and ensure the long-term sustainability of your program.
- Address Common Implementation Challenges: Understand challenges and lessons learned about early implementation of SB 1004 palliative care from the perspectives of both health plans and providers.
