Palliative care organizations that integrate employee feedback into their staff development policies have a fighting chance in battling ongoing burnout and turnover in the field. The palliative care workforce is facing a wide range of challenges that impact their ability to thrive in the field. Providing serious illness care can be emotionally and mentally taxing […]
Center to Advance Palliative Care
A moving target in palliative care delivery is whether or not these services should have a dedicated benefit in the Medicare system. Discussions have heated up as to what such a program would mean for the industry. Palliative care models vary widely, with some focusing on interdisciplinary pain and symptom management, and others on consults […]
Progress on growing access to quality palliative care has been challenged by hurdles in policy, payment and common misperceptions among patients and providers. Palliative care providers can help patients and families at various points along their health care trajectories, but the fragmentation in the nation’s health system has led to widespread access issues, according to […]
Clinicians often lack exposure to palliative care during their medical training – an issue blocking growth of this workforce during a time of rising demand. One key to growing the supply of palliative care clinicians hinges on data that demonstrates how these services improve patient outcomes. Quality data can help health care leaders across the […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been working health equity components into new alternative payment models. Much movement has taken place in the payment and policy realms towards closing disparities among underserved populations, according to Hope Glassberg, senior policy advisor at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and president of […]
Breast cancer patients often lack access to palliative care services, but the needle may be moving as researchers dig into common barriers and clinical and financial outcomes. A recent study of nearly 30,000 hospitalized metastatic breast cancer patients found that only 19% received palliative care from 2010 to 2014. The Scientific Reports study examined patient […]
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred substantial change in serious illness care. Particularly, it drew attention to palliative care’s widening role across the continuum. Demand for serious illness care soared during the outbreak boosted palliative care awareness and putt a greater emphasis on the value that these services can bring to seriously ill patients and families, according […]
Some federal legislators are working to address workforce issues in the hospice space, as well as bolstering support for family caregivers. In a fractious political environment, hospice and palliative care policy is one area in which members of both parties find common ground. Lawmakers have introduced a series of bipartisan bills designed to relieve workforce […]
Forthcoming Medicare payment models will likely focus on disease-specific programs that bear similarities to palliative care. Emerging reimbursement demonstrations have placed a stronger emphasis on addressing a more diverse group of patients with high levels of care needs and complex health trajectories. Examples include the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) demonstration, the Accountable Care Organization Realizing […]
End-of-life doulas (EOLDs) and community health workers can add an additional layer of support that can help hospices improve connections and outcomes among patients and families. However, building these collaborations has come with financial barriers. EOLDs have had a growing presence in the serious illness and end-of-life care space, but their services are not reimbursed […]


