Patients with serious mental illnesses (SMI) have a range of complex needs that greater integration of psychiatry into palliative care could help address. A large issue preventing stronger collaborations is a lack of clearly defined patient eligibility criteria for palliative care delivery, according to Dr. Danielle Chammas, palliative care physician and psychiatrist at University California, […]

Ibogaine therapy is emerging as a potential alternative to opioid treatments among seriously ill patient populations seeking pain and symptom relief. But palliative care providers need a wider window into the laws that limit utilization. Ibogaine is a plant-derived psychoactive alkaloid drug with hallucinogenic properties. It is among the federally controlled psychedelic substances being explored […]

Interdisciplinary palliative care delivery can help to improve quality and health disparities among underserved cancer patient populations, according to oncology specialists. Cancer patients across diverse cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds often lack access to goal-concordant care that sufficiently addresses their physical, emotional and spiritual needs, according to Nadine Barrett, president of the Association of Cancer […]

Palliative care providers have explored diverse routes to improve quality and access to their services in 2024. Below are five under-the-radar stories that, while important, didn’t make our most read this year. The topics spanned evolving reimbursement trends, innovative care delivery partnerships and research examining the biggest barriers among undeserved populations. Palliative Care ‘Ahead of […]

“Access” was the watchword in the palliative care community during 2024, as providers sought more ways to reach the right patients at the right time. However, the momentum toward greater access is slow, even though researchers, payers, providers and regulators increasingly recognized the value of palliative when it comes to improved quality and health care […]

Cancer patients generally need palliative care, but widespread misperceptions often stand in their way, both among the public and many clinicians themselves. This is according to Nadine Barrett, president of the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC). The organization has been holding a series of webinars designed to better educate the oncology community about palliative […]

The health care community should integrate palliative care into all aspects of post-stroke treatments, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA). This should include interventions to address psychosocial health, navigating the health care system and preparation for end-of-life care when necessary, the statement indicated. The paper appeared in a recent […]

The varied routes of palliative care payment trends taking shape in today’s reimbursement landscape could have significant effects on the future outlook of sustainability and access to these services. Palliative care providers need a strong understanding around the insights gained from the current mix of payment models evolving in their space, according to Brynn Bowman, […]

Two states — Massachusetts and Oregon — rise above the rest when it comes to access to palliative care. This is according to the new rankings from the Center to Advance Palliative Care, America’s Readiness to Meet the Needs of People with Serious Illness Scorecard. The scorecard ranks each state’s capacity to deliver high-quality care […]

Patients with chronic kidney disease often face complex health care decisions, including identifying their need for palliative care. Few kidney patients have advance care plans, despite the need for crucial choices like the continuation of dialysis, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Early advance care planning […]