Breaking Boundaries:

A New Model for Chronic Disease Management

For our community members struggling with a life-threatening illness such as chronic congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or a cancer diagnosis, navigating the healthcare system for help can be a chronic challenge.

Breaking Boundaries will pioneer a palliative care program of comprehensive interdisciplinary care for those suffering with chronic life-threatening illness. Through the use of story and creative arts, subjects and care providers will explore a deeper understanding of the human condition and the quality of life. The pilot project is being led by Appalachian Community Hospice Medical Co-director Tracy Marx, DO, with collaboration from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University.

People suffering chronic diseases typically have frequent hospitalizations, are referred to home health, and are then discharged back into the community, on their own, until their next health crisis.  Hospice referrals occur quite late in the disease process. The national average hospice length of stay is 21 days; a full 25% die within 48 hours of admission to hospice.

“All too often,” says Dr. Marx, “we don’t have a significant amount of time to develop relationships and help clients and families deal with what matters most to them.”

Breaking Boundaries moves the locus of care “upstream,” developing relationships with clients and families earlier in their disease trajectory.  Breaking with the traditional biomedical model of disease-centered crisis care, Breaking Boundaries will explore a model of patient-centered, supportive, interdisciplinary care that enables clients to take an active role in their disease management and advanced care planning through open, honest, collaborative communication.

Breaking Boundaries will utilize techniques from the field of narrative medicine to improve treatment for those with life-limiting conditions through improved communication and increased collaboration among all caregivers and professionals. Our first pilot of 10-15 clients will begin in January 2011.

For more information, please contact Tracy Marx, DO at 740-594-8226, ext. 400.