Care Dimensions, in Partnership with North Shore Physicians Group, Receives $750,000 Grant from Mass. Health Policy Comm.

Diane Stringer, president and CEO of Care Dimensions, announced today that Care Dimensions is the recipient of a $750,000 grant from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC). The grant is one of the largest awarded this year by the HPC’s Health Care Innovation Investment Program. Care Dimensions, a hospice and palliative organization, working in partnership with North Shore Physicians Group, submitted a proposal to embed palliative care support into primary care practices, providing a resource for primary care physicians in the early identification of patients with serious advancing illness. The grant supports Care Dimensions’ ability to identify palliative care-eligible patients earlier in the trajectory of their illness, thereby reducing unwanted emergency department utilization and hospitalizations.

“As a national leader in providing comprehensive, compassionate end-of-life care, we are honored to be selected for this grant,” said Stringer. “We are the only organization funded for a focus on serious advancing illness/end-of-life care, reaffirming the need and effectiveness of the high quality care that we provide. Our goal is to realize a 30% decrease in re-admissions and emergency department visits by 2018 to significantly reduce health care costs overall while strengthening alliances and partnerships with health care systems and referral sources to improve the quality of care for patients and families.”

The grants were awarded as part of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Targeted Cost Challenge Investments which supports innovative delivery and payment models that are poised to be taken to scale and make a meaningful impact on the Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark in years to come. The HPC is funding 10 Targeted Cost Challenge Investments totaling $6,614,881. Awards range from $420,000 to$750,000, for an 18-month period of performance.

“The Health Policy Commission congratulates Care Dimensions on this significant achievement,” said David Seltz, Executive Director, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. “Care Dimensions’ efforts are critical to achieving our shared goals of improving the health of Massachusetts residents and reducing health care cost growth to ensure sustained access to quality and affordable health care.”

“Working in partnership with North Shore Physicians Group, we entered a proposal in the Serious Advancing Illness/End-of-Life Care category,” said Susan Lysaght Hurley, PhD, GNP, and Director of Research for Care Dimensions. “We look forward to enhancing the community-based palliative care services we already provide and hope that our model proves successful and can be scalable to additional primary care practices.”

Care Dimensions launched its Palliative Care program in 2002 with the goal of bringing expertise in pain and symptom management to individuals with serious, advancing illness. In 2015, the company served 1,509 palliative care patients through 2,268 visits. Care Dimensions Palliative Care has coordinated with inpatient and outpatient settings since its inception and is currently the Palliative Care provider for Beverly Hospital, Emerson Hospital, Winchester Hospital, Cambridge Hospital, Whidden Hospital, Anna Jacques Hospital, numerous long-term care facilities and more than 150 primary care physicians, specialists, and oncologists.

In 2005, Care Dimensions opened Massachusetts’ first licensed inpatient hospice facility, the 20-bed Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. In August 2016, it began construction on a new 18-bed inpatient hospice house on the Lincoln-Waltham line. The company received the prestigious 2015 national Circle of Life Award from the American Hospital Association and other leading health care organizations, in recognition of its innovative programs and services. In 2016, it was chosen as one of 140 hospices nationally to participate in the Medicare Care Choices Model program, which provides supportive services to patients who can continue to seek treatment for their terminal illness.

Photo:

David Seltz, (left), Executive Director, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC), congratulates Care Dimensions as the recipient of a $750,000 grant. The grant is one of the largest awarded this year by the HPC’s Health Care Innovation Investment Program. Accepting the award for Care Dimensions are (left to right), Diane Stringer, Care Dimensions president and CEO, Stephanie Patel, MD, VP & Chief Medical Officer, and Susan Lysaght Hurley, Director of Research.