Dr. Rasmussen Receives Board Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care

Charlie Rasmussen, DO of the Texas County Memorial Hospital Medical Complex in Houston has received board certification in hospice and palliative care from the American Board of Family Medicine.

To receive board certification in hospice and palliative care, Rasmussen was required to spend a specific amount of time in the field providing hospice and palliative care.  Rasmussen also studied specific material prior to the day long exam.

Rasmussen has been the medical director of TCMH Hospice of Care since Janaury 2010.  Hospice of Care utilizes a team of healthcare professionals to provide end of life care for terminally ill patients and their families, and Rasmussen provides the physician coverage needed for the Hospice of Care team.

Physicians such as Rasmussen that specialize in palliative care focus on preventing and alleviating suffering and improving the quality of life for those with terminal illnesses.  Palliative care physicians prescribe treatments to control pain and other uncomfortable symptoms; assist patients and their family member members with medical decisions; coordinate each patient’s care with other healthcare providers, and help patients and their family member find emotional and spiritual support.

“In our area, there are very few hospice programs that have medical directors that are board certified in hospice and palliative care,” Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH, said.  “Dr. Rasmussen’s board certification is a testament to his desire to provide the best possible care for our Hospice of Care patients.”

Murray noted that Rasmussen’s board certification in hospice and palliative care would add an additional dimension of care to Hospice of Care patients.

“Hospice care is designed to help patients live well at the end of their life, and Dr. Rasmussen believed having his board certification would better assist him helping to provide high quality care to his patients at the end of their lives,” Murray said.

Rasmussen is also board certified in family medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

As a family medicine physician at TCMH, Rasmussen sees patients of all ages from birth to the end of life.  Rasmussen has a full-time clinic practice at the TCMH Medical Complex, and he provides care for inpatients at TCMH in addition to practicing obstetrical medicine.  Rasmussen also provides occasional coverage in the TCMH emergency department and sees obstetrical patients at the TCMH Mountain Grove Clinic one day a week.

Rasmussen is the chief of the TCMH medical staff.   He became employed at TCMH in August 2007.

Rasmussen lives Houston with his wife, Stacey, and their daughter, Rylee.

To learn more about palliative care visit the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine website at www.palliativedoctors.org.