Supportive care management is a special kind of palliative care that helps patients and caregivers who are struggling with the burdens associated with living with advancing chronic disease. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms and stress associated with serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Supportive care management is provided by a specially-trained team who works together with all the patient’s providers to set goals, coordinate care, and provide expert symptom relief. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with aggressive, life prolonging treatment.
Although the supportive care management program must be ordered by the patient’s primary care provider (i.e., family practitioner, internist, nurse practitioner or physician assistant), anyone – including family members, friends and the patient – can call us at 920-674-6255 to request an initial consultation. Once the call is received, Rainbow Supportive Care Management will contact the patient’s primary care provider to obtain an order for a consultation visit.
All information obtained in the consultation visit is reviewed by the Rainbow Supportive Care Management team. A plan is then developed and specific recommendations for the patient are communicated to the primary care provider. Ongoing communication with the primary care provider will include findings from subsequent assessments, medication changes, coordination of specialty care, conversations with the RN Case Manager, and calls to the 24/7 on-call nurse.
The consultation visit usually takes 60-90 minutes and is conducted in the patient’s home or at the assisted living or skilled nursing facility by a nurse practitioner. At this time, the program is discussed in detail with the patient/family. The visit also includes a “goals of care” discussion within the context of the patient’s illness, and a complete history and physical exam including medication and treatment regimes.
Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurers will pay for the supportive care management visit. Though, like with a physician’s office visit, you may have to pay a deductible, co-pay or out-of-network cost.