Meridian’s Palliative Care Services help patients and families cope WITH the pain AND stress that accompany serious illness

by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Amessé Photography

For patients suffering from any serious illness, palliative care offers a wealth of support. Physicians and nurses provide relief from symptoms and stress, while a staff of social workers offers assistance with insurance, support groups, and advance care planning. And while this growing medical specialty’s goal is to simply improve the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses, including cancer, heart or lung disease, and neurological disorders such as stroke and
Alzheimer’s disease, its premise is often misunderstood.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about palliative care and what it really is,” noted Dr. Amy Frieman, who serves as medical director of palliative care services for Meridian Health. “The most important fact is that palliative care and hospice are not the same thing. The very important distinction between the two is that hospice care is provided at the end of life with a change of focus from cure to comfort. Palliative care is appropriate at any stage of a serious illness, whether the patient is terminally ill, facing chronic disease, or expected to go on to a full recovery,” adding that the care includes improving quality of life for both patient and family.

“We do that by providing effective management of symptoms and pain which either come from the underlying illness or its treatment,” Dr. Frieman said. “We also focus on the social and psychological stressors that the family may be struggling with after they receive life changing news of illness.”

It’s a multidisciplinary specialty staffed not only by physicians but by social workers, nurses, chaplains, and volunteers, who work together to provide patient-centered care.

“Our program has become a national leader in the field,” Dr. Frieman said. “While most large hospital systems have inpatient palliative care, Meridian stands out because we provide the service across all care settings. We also have palliative care in our long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, a home-based program, and an outpatient palliative care practice that helps patients navigate the health care system.”

For Dr. Frieman, who trained with some of palliative care’s top doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the program is a chance to help patients and family members during a stressful time.

“I wanted to be in a field where I could have a long-term relationship with my patients,” she explained. “And when I began working in palliative care and would walk the halls with family members and take on this personal role in their loved one’s care, I knew this was the right move for me.”

Dr. Frieman came to Meridian in 2010 as the hospital system was expanding its palliative care program.

“It existed in part across the system already but Meridian was looking to strengthen the program,” Dr. Frieman said. “Initially, it came down to a lot of education—connecting patients to appropriate resources in the community, helping them navigate any financial issues that may be in the way, arranging rides for their doctors’ appointments, etc. And then we placed an enormous focus on whole patient care—spending time with each individual family, talking about what mattered most to them and coming up with a treatment plan that worked for their particular situation.”

In the past six years under Dr. Frieman’s direction, the comprehensive program now known as Meridian Care Journey has grown to include four main components.

Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation is offered at all acute-care hospitals and features teams consisting of a physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, and chaplains who work with the patient’s other physicians to provide an extra layer of support, focusing on managing physical symptoms, coordinating care and providing emotional and spiritual support.

Skilled Nursing Facility Palliative Care Consultation is a referral-based consultation program offered at all five Meridian Nursing and Rehabilitation facilities. This program is available for any patient there, whether they are admitted for short-term rehabilitation or residing in a long-term care unit. The palliative care team can help with symptom management, advance care planning (ACP), care coordination, and emotional support.

Home-based palliative care began at Meridian as a successful Center for Medicare/Medicaid Ser vice Demonstration Program—a study of patients meeting specific eligibility criteria. Starting in July, home-based palliative care will be available to any patient with a serious illness requiring home visits.

The Center for Integrated Palliative Medicine is an outpatient program for patients dealing with a serious illness, staffed by a palliative medicine specialist physician, an advanced practice nurse, and a licensed clinical social worker. It offers pain and symptom management, ACP, and emotional support.

Meridian Health is also launching a Your Life, Your Wishes campaign to educate patients about the importance of ACP and talking with physicians and loved ones about health care goals. This campaign is part of a larger regional effort that AllSpire Health Partners, an alliance of seven leading health care systems throughout the Northeast, is supporting to raise awareness of ACP in their communities.

For New Jersey residents, the entire program is unparalleled. “With more than 207,000 residents over the age of 65 living in Ocean and Monmouth counties, it is our duty to offer the community medical care that is based on dignity and respect,” Dr. Frieman said.

In 2013, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City became the first hospital in New Jersey to receive The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Palliative Care.

“I think the reason why the program has been so successful is because this hospital system really understands and values palliative care,” Dr. Frieman said. “I have an amazing team around me who makes a big impact on peoples’ lives every day. We’re helping patients and their families navigate some unfortunate and difficult times, but together we’re able to make an impact.”

Meridian Health
1355 Campus Parkway Suite 103 Neptune
732.202.8071 / meridianhealth.com