Most Rural Regions Lack Palliative Care Specialists

The lion’s share of palliative care physicians dwell in more densely populated communities, creating disparities among the rural seriously ill population. Recent research has found that more than 90% of board certified palliative physicians and nurse practitioners nationwide were located in metropolitan and urban areas in 2022. Only 10% of these palliative clinicians were in […]

Breast Cancer Patients Often Lack Access to Palliative Care

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 […]

‘A Big Part of Our Future’: As the Case for Palliative Care Builds, New Programs Launch

New research is carving out the case for palliative care investment as more hospices dive into this growing market. A recently published study from Scientific Reports found that cancer patients who received palliative care services required 38% fewer emergency department visits and saw 56% fewer hospital admissions than those who did not. Additionally, the palliative […]

Providers Seek Palliative Care Quality Measures to Demonstrate Value

The lack of standardized quality measures for palliative care complicates efforts to expand access to those services. This means community-based palliative care providers have limited ways to benchmark their performance and further demonstrate their value. The growing need for this type of care has led providers and industry groups to pump up the volume of […]

Societal Factors, Poor Coordination Impede Advance Care Planning Outcomes

Fragmentation and variation in advance care planning processes are undermining the effectiveness of those services, according to recent research. A range of societal factors, regulatory hurdles and a lack of care coordination between health care settings have erected barriers between patients and services that are aligned with their priorities. Prior studies have shown that advance […]

Hospices Seek Expanded Telehealth Post-Pandemic as Regulatory Uncertainties Linger

Integration of telehealth has become an important component in serious illness and end-of-life care. Providers leveraged telehealth to build efficiency and increase touch points with patients and families, while also reducing travel and leg work for staff. But as pandemic restrictions start to wind down, regulatory uncertainties and questions abound about the long-term impact of […]