Rachel D. Havyer, M.D.

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SUMMARY

The research interests of Rachel D. Havyer, M.D., involve improving the integration of primary care and palliative care. Dr. Havyer aims to improve the identification of unmet palliative care needs within primary care populations using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Additionally, she is involved in measuring the impact of training primary care providers in the Serious Illness Conversation Guide. Furthermore, she aims to better understand how to integrate and assess caregivers of patients with serious illness.

Focus areas

• AI identification of unmet palliative care needs. Dr. Havyer leads an effort to use AI algorithms to help identify unmet palliative care needs and uncover the best way to help meet those needs given limited palliative care resources.
• Integration of family caregivers. Dr. Havyer works to better understand caregivers, provider views of caregiver integration and caregiver involvement in clinical care.
• Primary palliative care skills training. Dr. Havyer is involved in a multidisciplinary effort to improve communications skills of primary providers using the Serious Illness Conversation Guide with measurement of the impact of training.

Significance to patient care

There are not enough specialty palliative care providers to meet the scope of palliative care needs in the health system. Therefore, Dr. Havyer works to better identify and triage the palliative care needs of patient populations to better target care. Additionally, the improvement of primary palliative care skills of primary clinicians and better integration of family care providers can improve the holistic care of patients and families with serious illnesses, and further meet the unmet palliative care needs of these patients.