Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, the participants should be able to:

• Identify the need for telepalliative care for hospitalized patients, in rural areas.
• Describe the TeleGOC Pause, a UPMC telepalliative pilot program that used an AI-based clinical indicator to identify patients for consultations in rural emergency departments (ED)
• Outline key considerations and strategies for developing an inpatient telepalliative consult service for hospitalized patients. 

Bio:
Dr. Bezak earned his medical degree at Vanderrbilt University, then did his residency in Internal Medicine at New Yourk Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. In the subsequent years as a fellow in Gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania and as an academic hospitalist, he realized his passion for provided whole-person care, especially to patients with serious illness. Valuing the importance of high-quality communication and meeting the patient and family "where they are" medically, emotionally, socially and spirituality, he completed a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New Your City. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC and has used machine learning to identify patients with serious illness at rural hospitals in Western Pennsylvania who would benefit from specialty palliative care and developed programs to deliver needed specialty palliative expertise to their bedside in real-time via telehealth. 

In addition to clinical care and system development, Dr. Bezak is an educator, mentor and actively seeks opportunities to provide guidance and support colleagues, medical trainees, and allied health professionals who want to understand and improve their skills in effective medical communications, complex medical decision-making, and quality improvement. For his efforts, he has received the UPMC New Physicians Excellence in Clinical Care Award (2021) and the Beckwith Institute's Fellowship for Shared Decision-Making (2021-2023). At a national level, he is the Co-Founder/Chair-Elect for the new AAHPM Telehealth and Technology Community Forum, and at the international level, Dr. Bezak serves as a member of the scientific advisory board for EPIC (Enhancing Palliative Care in the ICU), a large 5-year randomized controlled clinical trial across multiple sites and countries in Europe.

By combining compassionate care with the innovative power of technology, Dr. Bezak aims to explore new frontiers in palliative care to ensure that patients with serious illness and their loved ones receive the support that they need and deserve, regardless of their location or circumstances. 

ATTENDANCE / CREDIT
Text the session code (provided only at the session) to 507-200-3010 within 48 hours of the live presentation to record attendance. All learners are encouraged to text attendance regardless of credit needs. This number is only used for receiving text messages related to tracking attendance. Additional tasks to obtain credit may be required based on the specific activity requirements and will be announced accordingly. Swiping your badge will not provide credit; that process is only applicable to meet GME requirements for Residents & Fellows.

TRANSCRIPT
Any credit or attendance awarded from this session will appear on your Transcript.

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