Peds Pal Program

What is Concurrent Care?

Concurrent care is a pediatric palliative care program that allows children under age 21 with life-limiting illnesses or conditions to continue to pursue curative treatment and hospitalization while concurrently receiving the specialized support of a hospice team. The team focuses on enhancing the child's quality of life, optimizing functional status, and controlling distressing symptoms, while also providing emotional and spiritual support to the patient and family/caregiver. Under concurrent care, children are able to receive treatments of all types.

Care is provided in the home by an interdisciplinary group (IDG) of professionals including pediatric registered nurses, social workers, spiritual support counselors, hospice aides, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and volunteers. The concurrent care team medical director is a pediatrician with special training in palliative and hospice care.

Collaboration and plan of care

The plan of care is managed by the IDG who develops, in collaboration with the patient and family/caregiver, a plan of care. The IDG also collaborates with the patient's attending physician and any other participating services.

Other Services

Children on the concurrent care program may receive other services in their home. These include services not provided under the palliative care benefit. Some examples include home care/health, respiratory therapy for patients on a ventilator, physical and/or occupational therapy services, and enteral feedings. A licensed vocational nurse (LVN) or registered nurse (RN) may also be provided by a home care agency via Medi-Cal or other state program, separate from hospice services.