2025 THEPQR4 Consultation to Palliative Care for Patients with End Stage Conditions 

Measure Title: Consultation to Palliative Care for Patients with End Stage Conditions

Measure description: The measure will identify patients with end stage diagnoses who meet any of the listed criteria for a palliative care consult

Denominator:

Place of Service: Emergency Medicine, Observation, Inpatient Hospitalization, Critical Care, and SNF.

• Patients aged 18 or older

AND who have one of the of the following conditions (Primary Criteria)

• Advanced Cancer
• Stroke
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Neurodegenerative Disease
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) – with LVEF < or = to 40%
• Kidney Failure (ESRD)

AND Secondary criteria (has ANY ONE criteria listed below):

• Pair with all: Two or more ED visits or hospitalizations within 12 months with the same primary diagnosis
• Pair with all: Chronic home oxygen use, or Ventilator
• Pair all for non ambulatory care (e.g. Not in ER): Admission from long-term care facility
• Pair with Cancer: Stage 4, or Metastatic cancer
• Pair with all: Difficult to control physical symptoms (intractable or uncontrollable pain, vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, weakness, failure to thrive, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, loss of appetite
• Pair with all: Complex care requirements
-Home infusion (pain medication (PCA pump), hydration, Total parenteral nutrition, milrinone)
-Tube feedings via PEG
-Requirement for mechanical ventilation
-Bedbound and requiring 24 hr medical care
• Pair with all: SDOH (refer to list)

Denominator Exceptions:

  •  Patient or medical decision maker refusal
  • Palliative care not available, or system issue preventing palliative care consult

Denominator Exclusions: 

  • Patient on hospice, or discharged to hospice
  • Eloped or left AMA
  • Expired

Denominator Criteria (Eligible Cases):

  • None

Numerator: “Performance Met: Patient received order for palliative care by discharge, or had a palliative care consult documented within the past year

Performance Not Met: Patient did not receive an order for palliative care by discharge, or had a palliative care consult documented within the past year.”

Numerator Exclusion: None

National Quality Forum (NQF) number, if applicable

N/A

Care setting(s) 

Hospital; Ambulatory

Telehealth, if applicable
No

Number of performance rates required for measures
1

Traditional vs. inverse measure
Traditional

Proportional, continuous variable, and/or ratio measure indicator
Proportional

Risk adjustment, if applicable
No

Submission pathway 
Traditional MIPS


Tags

QCDR-EACCR-2025