Susan Castellano
Ms. Castellano has held a variety of health care policy and program positions in Minnesota over the past 20 years. She is currently serving as Acting Director of the Performance Measurement and Quality Improvement (PMQI) Division at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. PMQI is responsible for monitoring and measurement of services for public program enrollees. The division produces analysis and reports for policy development, program evaluation, quality improvement, payment design and risk adjustment. Ms. Castellano also manages Maternal and Child Health coverage policy at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She is responsible for developing children’s health policy for Minnesota’s Medicaid programs, including the state EPSDT program. Prior to her work at DHS, Ms. Castellano was with the Health Economics Program at the Minnesota Department of Health as a project team leader for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation State Initiatives in Health Care Reform Project. Before her work in state government, Ms. Castellano worked for the Children’s Defense Fund on children’s policy, research and advocacy.
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
