Dr. Wayne Saltsman recently joined All Care as Chief Medical Officer and Hospice Medical Director. In this role, Dr. Saltsman will work on strategic and growth opportunities, provide leadership and oversight to the clinical staff, as well as direct medical care to patients as needed.
Triple board certified in internal medicine, geriatrics, and hospice and palliative care; Dr. Saltsman brings a unique perspective to All Care and the patients and families we care for. His passion for end-of-life care started early in his career, and for reasons many of us can relate to. He grew up in an incredibly close-knit family, with both his maternal and paternal grandparents living just across the street and up the block from his family’s home just outside Los Angeles. His childhood was spent with them, after school, weekends, holidays. Their presence was very much a part of what shaped him into the person he is today. And with that, he was also there as he witnessed their health decline. He didn’t necessarily enter the field of medicine on a crusade to repair a broken system, but he saw ways to better serve this unique population of patients. To care for them with the dignity, respect, and grace they deserve. And that’s what he’s been striving to do for more than thirty years.
When asked where he saw the most opportunity to better support our patients, he quickly said that it is in the palliative care space. He went on to say that there’s a belief out there, even among some providers, that palliative care is merely a precursor to hospice. He would love to get to a spot where there’s an understanding that palliative care has nothing to do with mortality, but everything to do with symptom management. “It’s about understanding what our patient’s wishes and goals are,” Saltsman said. “It’s about streamlining their care and meeting them where they are. Once palliative care starts to really gain momentum, we’ll all find that this group of patients are utilizing less emergent care, because they’re receiving the care that they need and want in a way that works for them.”
In his dual role as Hospice Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Saltsman is uniquely positioned to participate in the development of innovative programs and partnerships that demonstrate the full value inherent in the continuum of care available through All Care.
Dr. Saltsman received his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and completed a clinical fellowship in geriatric medicine at Harvard Medical School.