Blue Shield is leading a program that "can improve the quality of life for their seriously ill patients while also reducing the patients' medical expenses." It's called "palliative care."
The program began as a pilot in 2017 and was expanded to all 58 counties in March. It offers care management and coordination, pain and symptom management, assistance with treatment decisions and care planning, meal delivery and transportation in some cases, and round-the-clock access to care and support.
Read about it in this Sacramento Bee story.
This type of care can sharply reduce medical costs, so why aren't doctors ordering it?