Measuring What Matters for Families and Caregivers: But How? (SA505)

An abstract of a study by Tucker et al defining the barriers and opportunities associated with measuring family and caregiver satisfaction with palliative care services in inpatient and ambulatory settings is presented. Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys which are mandated by CMS and the subsequent Value Based Purchasing payment system has brought increased attention to the potential effects of quality PC services through an emphasis on communication skills, coordination of care, pain management and goals of care discussions.

Objectives

• Define the barriers and opportunities associated with measuring family and caregiver satisfaction with palliative care services in inpatient and ambulatory settings.
• Review the Measuring What Matters (MWM) project within AAHPM and the unique challenges in this arena.•
• Delineate the next steps in linking palliative care patient and family experience data and measurement to hospitals that are focused on patient perception of care surveys.