Host Lakshman Swamy had the chance to interview Dr. Diane Meier at the recent Lown Institute Conference in San Diego ago. Diane is a practicing palliative care physician and geriatrician at Mt. Sinai in New York as well as Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care. Today, Diane speaks to Lakshman following a keynote delivered at the Lown conference. She discusses what palliative care really is-- and how it goes far beyond the traditional concepts of hospice care. She illustrates the problems in our health care system that result not only in substantial waste, but also excessive and inappropriate care that results in unnecessary ED visits and hospitalizations for many of our elderly patients. She describes how palliative care can improve patients' lives by delivering more of their medical care at home and around their lives. As we’ve mentioned before, the Lown Institute is dedicated to transforming healthcare systems and improving the health of communities. They focus on the concept of “right care” in an era where both impaired access to care and overtreatment are major issues. Check them out at lowninstitute.org.