Balancing rising demand with recruitment and retention tops the list of palliative care providers’ concerns heading into next year.
Nearly nearly 800 palliative care program leaders and interdisciplinary team members from across the country recently weighed in on a survey from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). Respondents included both adult and pediatric palliative care providers who provided feedback on their 2025 outlook in the organization’s first iteration of its annual Palliative Pulse survey.
More than one-third (37%) of palliative care team leaders reported that the ability to meet demand was among their leading concerns in 2025, with 34% also citing access to qualified professionals.
“Specifically, access to qualified hires was frequently at the top for pediatric programs,” Rachael Heitner, associate director of research and insights at CAPC, stated in a recent webinar highlighting the survey’s findings. “The key takeaway here is that palliative care teams are often trying to handle increases in consult volumes. The high clinical demand makes the thought of losing team members nerve-wracking. These numbers give a well-rounded picture of what people are feeling on a day-to-day basis.”
Boosting palliative care teams’ morale and well-being was another frequently reported challenge among 40% of the CAPC survey respondents, with 37% also voicing concerns about support from organizational leadership. Investing in emotional and mental health supports was a main route that leaders identified as addressing these challenges.
Issues with sustainable growth were cited among 43% of pediatric palliative care leaders anticipating difficulties expanding into new patient populations. Meanwhile, challenges in navigating alternative payment models was a problem reported among 34% of hospice and home health agencies that offer palliative care.
Palliative care leaders also indicated growing concerns about addressing health disparities among underserved populations.
“[Palliative] program leaders are concerned about the well-being of the people working on their teams,” said CAPC CEO Brynn Bowman during the webinar. “We are a field that’s growing fast, and programs can’t always find qualified people. As we look toward the future, the questions then become, ‘How do we ensure consistently high-quality care as a field in a way that is sustainable? How can we as a U.S. health care system ensure accountability for access to palliative care and the economy of palliative care?’”
The survey findings point to a mounting need for improved palliative care reimbursement and expanded clinical education, according to Dr. Andrew Esch, senior education advisor at CAPC.
As palliative providers see increased demand, they’re also contending with workforce issues felt across the care continuum, Esch stated. These include staffing shortages, fierce resource competition, wage pressures and turnover.
Palliative leaders have increasingly expressed concerns related to quality and access as their value proposition rises among stakeholders, payers and patients alike, he added.
“Top challenges facing health care workers are burnout and our emotional well-being, high turnover rates, long work hours [and] financial pressures,” Esch said during the webinar. “As volumes go up and financial pressures start creeping into our reality, that’s putting a pinch on what has always been such great value in palliative care — which is that patient and provider time.”
