Diane E. Meier, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
Dr. Diane E. Meier, FACP, FAAHPM, is Director Emerita and Strategic Medical Advisor of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, a national organization devoted to increasing access to quality health care in the United States for people living with serious illness. Under her leadership the number of palliative care programs in U.S. hospitals tripled since 2002.
Widely regarded as a preeminent change agent, Dr. Meier has received numerous awards that recognize and celebrate her achievements. In September 2008, Dr. Meier was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (MacArthur Genius Award). She was named one of “20 People Who Make Healthcare Better in the United States” by HealthLeaders Media in 2010, and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013. In 2017 she received both the Gustav O. Lienhard Award of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Hospital Association’s HRET TRUST Award. Dr. Meier served as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow in Washington, DC, in 2009–10, working on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) and at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Meier has published more than two hundred works in peer-reviewed medical literature. Her most recent book, Meeting the Needs of Older Adults with Serious Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Age of Health Reform, was published by Humana in 2014. She has been featured in the media numerous times, including the PBS NewsHour Brief But Spectacular and the New York Times Magazine.
Books:
- Kelley AS, Meier DE, (eds.). Meeting the Needs of Older Adults with Serious Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Age of Health Care Reform. Humana Press: 2014. ISBN 9781493904068
- Hughes RG, Isaacs SL, Meier DE, (eds). Palliative Care: Transforming the Care of Serious Illness. Wiley/Jossey-Bass: March 2010. ISBN 9780470527177
- Cassel CK, Leipzig RM, Cohen HJ, Larson EB, Meier DE, (eds). Geriatric Medicine. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0387955143
- Cassel CK, Leipzig RM, Cohen HJ, Larson EB, Meier DE, eds. Geriatric Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach. 4th ed. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2003. ISBN 0387955143
- Morrison RS, Meier DE (eds). Geriatric Palliative Care. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0195141911
Selected Publications:
- Meier DE, Lim B, Carlson MD. Raising the standard: palliative care in nursing homes. Health Affairs (Millwood) 2010 Jan-Feb;29(1):136-40. PMID 20048372
- Adler ED, Goldfinger JZ, Kalman J, Park ME, Meier DE. Palliative care in the treatment of advanced heart failure. Circulation 2009 Dec 22;120(25):2597-606. Review. PMID 20026792
- Weissman DE, Meier DE. Operational features for hospital palliative care programs: consensus recommendations. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2008 Nov;11(9):1189-94. PMID 19021479
- Morrison RS, Meier DE, Fischberg D, Moore C, Degenholtz H, Litke A, Maroney-Galin C, Siu AL. Improving the management of pain in hospitalized adults. Archives of Internal Medicine 2006;166:1033-1039.
- Meier DE. Palliative care as a quality improvement strategy for advanced, chronic illness. Journal of Healthcare Quality 2005;27: 33-39.
- Meier, DE; Morrison, RS. Palliative Care. New England Journal of Medicine 2004 (June)
- Meier DE; Thar W; Jordan A; Goldhirsch SL; Siu A; Morrison RS. Integrating case management and palliative care. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2004; Feb. 7(1):119-134
- Meier DE, Morrison RS. Autonomy reconsidered. New England Journal of Medicine 2002 Apr 4;346(14):1087-1089
- Meier DE, Back AL, Morrison RS. The inner life of physicians and care of the seriously ill. JAMA 2001 Dec 19;286(23):3007-3014
- Morrison R, Siu A, Leipzig R, Cassel C, Meier D. The hard task of improving the quality of care at the end of life. Archives of Internal Medicine 2000 Mar 27;160(6):743-7
Selected Original Peer-Reviewed Reports:
- Cassel JB, Spragens L, Bowman B, Rogers M, Meier DE. Palliative Care Leadership Centers are key to the diffusion of palliative care innovation. Health Affairs 2018;37:231-9.
- Meier DE, Back AL, Berman A, Block SD, Corrigan JM, Morrison RS. A national strategy for palliative care. Health Affairs 2017;36(7):1265-73.
- Spetz J, Dudley N, Trupin L, Rogers M, Meier DE, Dumanovsky T. Few hospital palliative care teams meet national staffing recommendations. Health Affairs 2016;35:1690-7.
- Meier DE. Measuring quality of care for the sickest patients. NEJM Catalyst February 2016 - http://catalyst.nejm.org/measuring-quality-of-care-for-the-sickest-patients/
- Dumanovsky T, Rogers M, Spragens LH, Morrison RS, Meier DE. Impact of staffing on access to palliative care in U.S. hospitals. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2015;18:998-9.
- Peter May, Melissa M Garrido, J Brian Cassel, Amy Kelley, Diane E. Meier, Charles Normand, Thomas J Smith, Lee Stefanis, and R. Sean Morrison. Prospective cohort study of hospital palliative care teams for inpatients with advanced cancer: earlier consultation is associated with larger cost-saving effect. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2015;33:1-10.
- Meier DE. Focusing together on the needs of the sickest 5%, who drive half of all healthcare spending. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2014;62:1970-72.
- Meier DE. ‘I don’t want Jenny to think I’m abandoning her’: views on overtreatment. Health Affairs 2014;33(8):1492
- Tamura MK, Meier DE. Five policies to promote palliative care for patients with end stage renal disease. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2013, June 6.
- Unroe K, Meier DE. Quality of hospice care for individuals with dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2013; 61:1212-14.
- Smith TJ, Temin S, Alesi ER, Abernethy AP, Balboni TA, Basch EM, Ferrell BR, Loscalzo M, Meier DE et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology provisional clinical opinion: the integration of palliative care into standard oncology care. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2012;30:880-7.
- Morrison RS, Augustin R, Souvanna P, Meier DE. America’s care of serious illness: a state-by-state report card on access to palliative care in our nation’s hospitals. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2011; 14:1094-6.
- Meier DE. Increased access to palliative care and hospice: Opportunities to improve value in healthcare. Millbank Quarterly 2011;89:343-380.
- Morrison RS, Dietrich J, Ladwig S, Quill T, Sacco J, Tangeman J, Meier DE. Palliative care consultation teams reduce hospital costs for Medicaid beneficiaries. Health Affairs 2011;30:454-463.
- Carlson MD, Lim B, Meier DE. Strategies and innovations for delivering palliative care in nursing homes. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2011;12:91-98.
- Kelley A, Meier DE. Palliative care: A shifting paradigm. New England Journal of Medicine 2010;363:781-2.
- Meier DE, Lim B, Carlson, MD. Raising the standard: Palliative care in nursing homes. Health Affairs 2010;29:136-40.
From the Blog
Dr. Diane Meier on the History and Future of Palliative Care Research
Why Diane Meier, MD, is excited about the future of palliative care research and was inspired by the 2024 AAHPM State of the Science keynote.
In Memory of Jim Block, MD
Diane E. Meier, MD, and friends write a loving tribute to their longtime friend and colleague, Jim Block, MD, sharing memories and lessons learned throughout the years.
Diane Meier Announces April Leadership Transition
A letter from Dr. Meier sharing that Brynn Bowman will become Executive Director of CAPC.
Courses
An introduction to palliative care, how it is delivered, its impact on quality of life, and the growing population of patients who need it.
Course 1 of 14
Conducting a comprehensive pain assessment to guide safe and effective treatment.
Course 2 of 14
Selecting a safe and appropriate analgesic for patients with serious illness based on the pain assessment.
Course 3 of 14
Patient and family factors that influence prescribing decisions for patients with serious illness.
Course 4 of 14
Integrating routine risk assessment for substance use disorder when considering or using opioid therapy.
Course 5 of 14
Designing a safe and effective opioid trial for the patient with serious illness.
Course 6 of 14
Safe and appropriate opioid prescribing for the opioid-naive patient with serious illness.
Course 7 of 14
Four indications for using short-acting opioids.
Course 8 of 14
Ongoing evaluation of opioid benefits, risks, and side effects for the patient with serious illness.
Course 9 of 14
Guidance on safe conversion to long-acting opioids for patients with serious illness.
Course 10 of 14
Prescribing practice for long half-life opioids, converting from one opioid to another, and accounting for incomplete cross-tolerance.
Course 11 of 14
Changing the route of opioid delivery, rotating opioids, advanced opioid conversions, and tapering opioids.
Course 12 of 14
Safe opioid prescribing in older adults, cognitively impaired patients, children, and the imminently dying, including patient-controlled analgesia.
Course 13 of 14
Pain management for patients with serious illness and high risk for substance use disorder, including risk assessment, monitoring, and when to refer for safe pain management.
Course 14 of 14
Safe opioid prescribing for patients with serious illness, using the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Guidelines for the Chronic Use of Opioid Analgesics.
Take this online course to learn evidence-based strategies to identify and treat anxiety in patients with a serious illness.
Constipation occurs in at least 70% of patients living with a serious illness and often goes unrecognized. Take this online course to learn critical skills to identify and manage the impact of constipation.
This online course teaches how to accurately identify and treat depression in patients living with a serious illness.
Take this online course to learn how to manage dyspnea, including the physical causes of shortness of breath and the emotional impact on the patient.
Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms of serious illness, and can cause dangerous complications. Take this online course to learn practical skills to identify, manage, and reduce these symptoms.
Course 1 of 5
Learn best practices for having patient-centered conversations about a serious illness diagnosis.
Course 2 of 5
Learn how to effectively discuss prognosis with patients and their caregivers.
Course 3 of 5
Learn best practices for building trust, eliciting patient values, and having patient-centered conversations about goals of care.
Course 4 of 5
Learn to effectively lead meetings that help patients and caregivers become aligned around the patient’s goals.
Course 5 of 5
Learn techniques to help patients and their caregivers plan for the future, both during the early stages of a serious illness and as a disease progresses.
Course 1 of 8
Gain an overview of the experience of living with dementia and learn how to relieve distress for patients with dementia, and their caregivers.
Course 2 of 8
Learn how to discuss a dementia diagnosis with patients and caregivers in a way that is sensitive, clear, and supportive.
Course 3 of 8
Learn techniques for supportive communication with people living with dementia, and their caregivers, to help them prepare for the challenges they may face as dementia progresses.
Course 4 of 8
Learn how to facilitate future planning discussions with people living with dementia, and their caregivers.
Course 5 of 8
Learn how to assess caregiver burden and connect caregivers with needed support systems.
Course 6 of 8
Learn about the sources of behavioral symptoms for people living with dementia and how to respond to them.
Course 7 of 8
Learn how to relieve suffering from common mood and sleep disturbances in order to improve quality of life for people living with dementia, and caregivers.
Course 8 of 8
Learn about common health complications for people living with advanced dementia and how to support patients and caregivers.
This course provides context and best practices for identifying older adults at risk for poor outcomes, including falls, delirium, and caregiving challenges.
Assessing and supporting caregivers of people with serious illness.
Guidance for all clinicians on improving communication and ensuring smooth transitions of care for patients living with serious illness.
Course 1 of 4
Clinical training on the biological basis of chronic pain, building patient trust, and non-pharmacological and non-opioid treatments for managing chronic pain in patients with serious illness.
Course 2 of 4
Clinical training on prescribing an opioid trial for the management of a seriously ill patient's chronic pain.
Course 3 of 4
Clinical training course on universal precautions to identify and assess opioid misuse, and prevent opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with serious illness.
Course 4 of 4
Clinical training course for identifying and managing opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with serious illness, and treating pain in seriously ill patients with OUD.
The role of the direct care worker in observing and reporting suffering in patients with serious illness.
Evaluating patient need, service requirements, and stakeholder priorities for the inpatient program.
Incorporating needs assessment and stakeholder priorities into design of a high-quality inpatient program.
Building a budget and a business plan for the inpatient program. Includes business planning tools.
Defining community-based palliative care: which patients need it, how it is delivered, and how it differs from inpatient palliative care.
Evaluating patient need, service requirements, care settings, and stakeholder priorities for the community-based palliative care program.
Designing and implementing an office-based palliative care program, including clinical model and operational considerations.
Translating needs assessment into service design for the community-based palliative care program.
Building a budget and a business plan for the community-based program. Includes business planning tools.
Strategic planning for new or veteran programs, and a framework for identification of barriers to team efficiency and team health.
Guidance for palliative care teams to build collaborative relationships with referrers.
