IOM looks deep into end-of-life care

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) will host a national action conference March 20 to discuss how the recommendations from the IOM report "Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life" could be implemented and what barriers could be a challenge. Panels of long-term care leaders, national policy experts and others will discuss the integration of palliative care and hospice services within the greater long-term care framework, models for public and private payment for high-quality end-of-life care, and other challenges and opportunities.

The “Dying in America” report, released in September, called for improvements to the entire gamut of end-of-life care, including:

• person-centered, family-oriented care;
• clinician-patient communication and advance care planning;
• professional education and development;
• policies and payment systems; and
• public education and engagement.

The day-long conference is free and open to the public. The in-person event will be held at the historic National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C. The event agenda and details for registration are available on the conference page. The program also will be available as a live video webcast, which is free but requires prior registration.

As a way to promote discussion, the IOM is seeking statements and ideas from providers who already have planned actions or changes based on the recommendations in the report. Organizations that wish to share their ideas and actions can submit a short statement to the IOM by March 13.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.