Abstract
Franciscan St. Francis Health of Indiana implemented a palliative medicine pilot program in 2004 that introduced palliative care to 13 patients and their families during Day 3 of their intensive care unit stay to help resolve life-limiting and end-of-life issues. As a result, the hospital saved $29,240 per patient (based on Center to Advance Palliative Care formula) that year. These savings allowed the hospital to hire one full-time palliative medicine employee. The criteria to implement the program met the National Quality Forum requirements set by the National Priorities Partnership in 2008. Because of its success, the palliative medicine team (physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, chaplains, and pain control specialists) consulted on more than 1200 cases in 2010.