A Financial Model for High-Touch Community-Based Palliative Care

A nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of New Yorkers facing life-limiting illnesses, Metropolitan Jewish Health System (MJHS) Hospice and Palliative Care created a community-based palliative care program eight years ago. MJHS’s most challenging and important home care program is called the High-Touch Model, which offers home visits by members of an interdisciplinary team (physician or nurse practitioner, social worker, and chaplain, if needed), telephonic outreach by a nurse specialist in palliative care, and 24/7 access to on-call services. MJHS’s corporate commitment to in-home palliative care can only be sustained, however, if management develops clinical models that offer a clear value proposition to payers in the healthcare system. Through environmental scans, literature reviews, and an analysis of clinical and financial data, a Capstone team developed a financial model that can be flexed based on clinical acuity, patient census, and staffing type and levels, as well as a white paper outlining the model.