Objective: To share the discussion of the December 6, 2019 Parkinson’s Hospitalization Convening.

Background: On December 6, 2019, The Parkinson’s Foundation (PF)  assembled thought leaders in hospitalization and Parkinson’s disease (PD) to understand hospital care needs for people with PD, models of success and best practices that can enable that care, and common barriers, drivers, and strategies for adoption.
The estimated annual cost of hospital inpatient services for PD is $7.19 billion constituting 28.4% of the total direct medical cost of the disease.  This cost is due in part to improper medication management for close to 75% of people with PD who are hospitalized, over half of whom have complications that could have been avoided. Despite significant impact on healthcare quality and cost, hospital care for people with PD varies widely and no nationally recognized standards of care exist.

Method: The convening gathered leaders in PD care from PF(staff, advisory committee and board members, and the National Medical Director, Michael Okun) and representatives from Hackensack University, Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Rochester, the Joint Commission and the Edmond J Safra Foundation. Attendees presented on progress made in their institutions and discussed challenges and best practices.

Results: Based on the convening, PF was able to establish clarity of the problems regarding inadequate hospital care for people with PD including the key care domains. The group was also able to establish consensus on a draft set of core hospital care guidelines, that recognize global guidelines but are unique to the US care system, to be finalized by the Advisory Committee, for all hospitals treating people with Parkinson’s disease and for use by Aware in Care Ambassadors in their local hospital outreach.

Conclusion: The Parkinson’s Experts in attendance agreed that there is a need for the refinement of the long-term vision for the PF Aware in Care program and its ability to drive nationwide changes in the delivery of hospital care for people with PD. Attendees agreed to work towards establishing standards within four areas: PD Medication Management/Avoiding Missed, Omitted, Delayed and Substituted Medications (MODS); Special Considerations for Medications; Potentially Inappropriate Medications/Contraindicated Medications; and Fall Risk and Ambulation.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-future-of-hospitalization-for-people-with-parkinsons-disease/