Improving End-of-life Experiences for Pennsylvanians

In 2005, the State of Pennsylvania End of Life Task Force (Task Force) was charged with recommending improvements to the states capacity maintain quality of life for residents and to improve state performance on benchmarks for quality end-of-life care. The Task Force examined seven dimensions: advance directives, provision of palliative care, financing care, special populations with particular concerns such as children, people with disabilities, racial-ethnic minorities, rural populations, and prison populations; professional education, community awareness, and measurement and evaluations. The Task Force concluded that to improve the quality of end-of-life care, effort will be needed to pass legislation to improve funding for home and community-based care, inform and educate care provider organizations about care coordination, and inform consumers about end-of-life options.