EM2306H "The Cost of Dying in America" (IM GR-060923)

Purpose and Overview

America has the most expensive healthcare in the world and national healthcare expenditures account for 18% of the US Gross Domestic Product. Compared to other developed countries, the US spends nearly twice as much as comparable countries on healthcare as a percentage of its GDP with majority of those costs spend on chronic illness and EOL care. Medicare costs topped $925.8 billion dollars in 2020. Despite these high costs, the life expectancy is trending down and is now 2 years lower than it was in 2019. Where is all the money going and why aren’t our outcomes better? In this talk, we will explore the Cost of dying in America, the trends of end of life spending, and how we can improve the quality of dying for our patients.

Target Audience

UT Southwestern faculty, fellows, residents and medical students, community physicians, nurse clinicians, physician assistants and nurses.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

  • Explore the data on Medicare expenditures and the major deficits in end of life care that contribute to high spending.
  • Recognize what our patients want when they reach life's last chapter and how physicians can provider better care and treatment options that align with patient's goals of care.
  • Review the benefits of Palliative care and Hospice at end of life and the necessary healthcare reform that is needed to change the trends of high spending and suffering at end of life.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AMA
Course opens: 
06/12/2023
Course expires: 
07/12/2023
Cost:
$0.00
Rating: 
0

Photo: First Last, M.D.Stephanie Terauchi, MD, FAAHPM
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Medical Director of Palliative Care
Division of General Internal Medicine

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AMA

Price

Cost:
$0.00
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Required Hardware/software

Activities should be run with recent versions of common browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome