SCAN Health Plan Launches Online Palliative Care Module Aimed at Enhancing Care for Seniors

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SCAN Health Plan has launched a new online continuing medical education (CME) course designed to help physicians improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing life-threatening illness. This new palliative care module is the latest addition to www.scancme.com, which offers online courses for physicians and other healthcare professionals in the management of chronic disease and common geriatric conditions.

“Sadly, however, research has demonstrated that shared decision making – between an informed patient and a physician knowledgeable in the patient's values and achievable treatment outcomes – is not the norm. SCAN’s palliative care module aims to change that.”

With America aging – today about 11 percent of the country is age 65 or older – the issue of palliative care is growing in recognition and importance. As one of the country’s largest not-for-profit senior health plans, SCAN decided to focus part of its CME efforts in this area with a practical, hands-on module entitled “Words Matter.”

“For palliative care to be successful, shared decision making and good physician-patient communication is essential,” said Timothy Schwab, M.D., chief medical officer at SCAN. “Sadly, however, research has demonstrated that shared decision making – between an informed patient and a physician knowledgeable in the patient's values and achievable treatment outcomes – is not the norm. SCAN’s palliative care module aims to change that.”

Dr. Schwab acknowledges that communication during serious illness can be difficult for patients as well as for their healthcare providers, but he says that “Through this new module we hope to improve the quality of healthcare delivered to not only SCAN members but to all seniors in the community. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists and social workers who want to improve their knowledge, competency and performance in the care of older adults may all access the SCAN online CME courses.”

In addition to the palliative care module, www.scancme.com offers online course topics in chronic kidney disease in the elderly, stroke prevention and management, and prevention and management of atrial fibrillation. The website also provides clinical guidelines, assessment tools, and literature regarding common geriatric medical conditions, all designed to assist healthcare professionals in better managing their older patients. In addition, SCAN has launched an e-newlsetter that focuses on performance improvement education in geriatrics and features monthly interviews with experts in geriatric care.

“Our education initiatives emphasize more than just acquisition of knowledge but aim to achieve a change in the way physicians practice,” said Dr. Schwab. “That’s why we focus on the introduction of new skills, practices and technologies, and the dissemination of new research findings. In about two decades one in every five Americans will be elderly, and we need to be ready.”

For more than 30 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of seniors and is now the country’s fourth largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plan. For more information, visit scanhealthplan.com.