Allina Health shares LifeCourse model at the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement

MINNEAPOLIS – (April 27, 2017) – A small portion of Medicare beneficiaries account for half of Medicare spending, and forty percent of that spending is due to persistent high spending on serious illness, according to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine). Resources are limited and there is pressure to reduce healthcare spending.

Allina Health is addressing this by integrating lay health care workers, known as care guides, into existing care teams. LifeCourse care guides offer patients long-term person-centered support in their home. LifeCourse integrates palliative care principles into serious illness care to support what matters most to patients. Studies show that the LifeCourse approach positively affects patients’ quality of life, experience and medical costs

Vivian Anugwom, LifeCourse program manager; Paige Bingham, LifeCourse director, and Paul Erickson, NorthPoint Health Wellness Center medical director will discuss outcomes and implementation strategies in a health system or clinic during “Impact of Lay Healthcare Workers in Palliative Care” at the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement’s 20th Annual Colloquium on Health Care Transformation May 9th in Minneapolis.

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About Allina Health

Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A not-for-profit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospitals, 15 retail pharmacies, specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, senior transitions, hospice care, home oxygen and medical equipment and emergency medical transportation services. For more information, visit us at allinahealth.org.